


At Moonlight's End

by multiversequeen8



Series: Moonlit Series [3]
Category: Songs of War - Fandom
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:07:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 45,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24540544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multiversequeen8/pseuds/multiversequeen8
Summary: It's been a month since Vraleus took over Conchord and Felden. It was only a matter of time until he decided to expand his control.Igneous still cannot seem to turn, however, that is about to change.
Series: Moonlit Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1751275
Kudos: 4





	1. New Beginnings.

It was a month since the fires.

A month since the world was turned upside down.

And throughout this month, he found he couldn’t change, couldn’t become the thing that would save him from this calamity. 

“Hey,” Quartz said, overly friendly. Quartz, despite Igneous’ inability to change, was incredibly nice to him. Igneous found himself becoming a lot more comfortable around this stranger. “Are you ready to head to Hydraphel?” Igneous shuddered at that word. He knew that place was _surrounded_ with water. They had caught word that Vraleus was busy enforcing his power over his taken kingdoms and that Hydraphel was able to hold them off. Perhaps if they could get to Hydraphel, with the added strength of the Ardoni clans, they could knock sense into K’arthen and Cydonia. 

“Yeah.” Igneous managed. He shoved his hands together and stood up. “So, we’re going to go to Hyperia and talk to the Queen?” Quartz nodded. 

“Kysia?” Quartz asked. Kysia twitched her ears and looked back at Quartz. Somehow, that weird cat-thing had learned how to speak but not how to turn back? Igneous had learned from her talks with Quartz that she was once a Felden official, a Felina. She didn’t even know if she could become herself again and Igneous felt her pain. Somehow, he wanted that beastial part of him back. 

“Yeah. I’m ready.” She said sleepily. Igneous knew Senn and Ria were still sleeping and was willing to wait for daybreak. Soon they would head to Hyperia. He just had to wait, and wait he would. 

It’s the best he could do.

=====

It took two months to reach Hyperia. Igneous, at this point, had started to stop caring about his lack of ability to turn. Now his main focus was surviving Vraleus’ onslaught. He poked at one of the spikes at his elbows, confused on what the odd part of his anatomy now meant. The thing that had caused him problems a while ago now seemed to be useless. He sighed. 

People kept glancing at Kysia. Senn seemed to be growing uncomfortable and Ria looked awfully nervous. Igneous looked back at his destination, exhausted by everything that happened. At this point, he was going to let them deal with the people. He just wanted to give his message to the Queen and get the heck out of there. 

“Igneous wait!” 

“Yes, Senn?” He asked tiredly, crossing his arms as he faced Senn. Senn sighed. 

“Shouldn’t I do it? I doubt she’ll trust Magnorites in these times.” 

Igneous groaned loudly. “Let me deal with her!” 

Senn cringed. “What’s eating you?” Igneous turned around and glared. 

“Do you really think asking that is a good idea?” 

“You know what? I’ll deal with her.” Senn growled. Igneous stopped him and he noticed Ria was now giving him a worried glance.

“Let. Me. Deal. With. Her.” Igneous said, pushing Senn back as gently as possible. Senn’s eyes widened at the force. He put his hands up and walked backwards. Igneous turned back around and immediately felt awful. He could apologize later! The world was at stake!

He stumbled into the Queen’s quarters. 

“Hey.” He said, resisting the urge to snap. He noticed he was feeling quite awful, but he wouldn’t let her know. The Queen walked over, confused by his presence. 

“Yes?” She asked. 

“I’m guessing you’re aware of everything that’s been happening.” 

“Yes.” She said, closing her eyes for a moment. 

“Well, he’s been distracted recently. I think this would be a good time for you to prepare your people.”

“Is there anyone left but us?” She asked. 

“He..” he paused and shook his head, trying to recollect his thoughts. “He hasn’t taken the Ardoni provinces. I don’t know about Cydonia and K’arthen.” He shook his head again, trying to get rid of the headache he was suddenly developing. 

“Are you alright, Igneous?”

“Yeah--wait, how do you know my name?”

She let out a soft sigh. “Some of Conchord’s civilians managed to escape. They brought word of you and your plans. I’m hoping we can work together and restore peace.” 

He nodded and headed out.

“How’d it go?” Senn asked. 

“She took it surprisingly well.” he managed. 

“Hey, are you feeling alright?” Ria asked. 

“I don’t thiiinnn--” he slurred right before he passed out.

When he came to, after what felt like a second to him, he found his environment was different. He was on the floor of some kind of...place that reminded him of where he first met Holly. He felt a pang of sadness. 

“What happened?” he asked. Senn popped his head in. 

“You passed out.”

“How long was I out?”

“Like an hour. Are you feeling alright?” 

Now that Igneous thought about it, he felt far from alright. His body felt like someone had taken a hammer to it and his head was pounding. “Nope.” he said bluntly.

“Yeah. That’s why you’re here. The people here said you should rest, they think it might be some kind of late reaction to what happened at Oakendale. Say, are you feeling peckish?” 

“No?” Igneous was confused at the very notion of such a question. He hadn’t felt hungry in months. Vraleus’ magic must have made him a normal Magnorite or something.

“Well, I’ll leave you to rest.”

“Can’t I read or something?” Igneous asked. Senn shook his head.

“It’ll make you feel worse. Especially if you have a headache.”

Igneous sighed and Senn left. He started to feel rather dizzy so he placed his head down on the ground and felt himself fade out again.

===

When Igneous came back to, he noticed it was night. He grabbed at the sides of his head and noticed they ached. Soon, he found himself stumbling outside. It felt as...no, what? How could it feel like he was melting? He was made out of lava and rock: he couldn’t--couldn’t melt… Couldn’t…

It was _hot_ , burning, aching, feeling almost as if he was about to melt into a puddle of warm rocks. This was impossible, heat was his friend! Yet, he felt as if he was someone caught in a fire. 

“ _Aaaahhhh_!” He yelled, falling onto all fours. He gritted his teeth and noticed...lava...flowing down from his joints. He gasped, running his tongue along his teeth. They were sharper than normal. Dread shot through his body. This couldn’t be happening! Why was this happening?! 

He cried out and felt the old wounds unraveling. He sobbed, feeling his own lifeblood starting to ooze down his body. He felt his main row of spikes lengthen, growing to the size of small swords and the new, two rows of spikes he acquired followed suit, not growing as long as his main row. Quickly, his claws lengthened and sharpened, and he used them to scrape at the ground desperately, a distraction from the agony that swept through him like a raging river. 

He let out an angered roar as his legs snapped into the shape of an animal’s. Igneous glanced at his legs and noticed that they were like his arms, with a long spike adorning each leg. He yowled, his growing contorting body causing him the worst pain he’d ever felt. His eyes almost rolled into the back of his head as he felt another limb grow from his body. He closed his eyes and fell forwards right as his body started to cool down again. He whimpered, thrashing his tail around. 

People murmured around him. His senses were awfully muddled, but he knew that they were talking about him. He huffed, realizing that he was ravenously hungry. Reason started to leave him, his thoughts turning to that of hunger, anger. He stood up on his hind legs and let out a roar. 

It was time for him to begin his feast. 

He glanced at the people. He would never harm, never feed upon them. But, he needed his strength. There was a bridge, a bridge that would take him to the wilderness, allowing him to feed enough to regain his energy. 

He ran through the people. They looked more confused than afraid.

Did that...did that mean what he thought? That meant...they knew he was more than a monster. He looked behind himself and back at them. 

He had a reason to keep fighting now. 

  
  



	2. The Return

_ _

_ What am I doing?!  _ He thought. And then he continued to feed on the deer he had killed. Soon he was finished, but he felt bad, wrong. Some part of him had begged, cried out for this back. But now that it was back...he felt awful dread, hatred for this form. He sobbed, clawed at the ground. Now he was conflicted again. He wrapped himself in his arms and whimpered quietly. 

He heard something walking in the distance. Igneous looked around, but couldn’t find the source of the noise. 

The voice grew louder. Igneous looked over and heard very faintly: “Is that an Alpha?”

“No! Vraleus took them all!” 

“So it could be a trap?”

“Who’s there?! What do you want?!” Igneous cried out. He heard the voices exchange whispers.

FiveMoonlits emerged into the clearing. Igneous stepped back. He was going to be ambushed!“Who are you?” the one in the middle asked.

“Igneous. You--you still didn’t answer my--” he stammered.

The Moonlits circled him. 

“He’s an Alpha...” one of them said in awe. Igneous remembered Holly mentioning him being one, but he doubted it was true.

“I’m a what?” He said, almost laughing from the shock. The Moonlits looked at each other and back at them.

“Don’t you notice those spikes on your elbows?” The one on the far left asked. 

“Yeah, but that’s probably Vraleus’ magic--”

“Did your father have those spikes?”

Igneous sat there poker faced for a moment. He let out a huff, forcing himself to remember the awful monster that killed his family.

And then he realized that he had those spikes.

“Yes.” He admitted, stepping back. 

“He’s a very interesting one. Three rows of spikes! Look!” He heard one of them say. Igneous was growing more and more uncomfortable. 

“You will be the one who saves us from Vraleus, right?” One of them, a small, incredibly young Moonlit asked as they emerged from behind the group.

“How old even are you?” Igneous asked the small figure. They trembled a little bit. 

“Only five.” the small figure squeaked. 

“What’s your name?” 

“Scoria.” she said. Igneous stepped back, seeing the small child shiver. It made him think of himself. “You’re gonna save us from the mean Vraleus, right?”

===

Vraleus kicked his leg up into the air on his makeshift throne. He stood up, looking outside his throne room, and saw his civilians cowering.

He made his way into another room. A Moonlit laid at his feet, let out loud huffs. It looked up at him. 

“Please...no more.” 

He rammed his foot into its face. He laughed and continued to his destination. He entered the room, soft crying coming into his ears. Holly shivered, pressing herself into the wall. She was missing an eye, but it was hard to tell, since the left side of her face was covered in blood.

“Ah, Holly. What a shame.” Vraleus said, melancholy lining his voice.

“I know you’re faking. You never cared about me!” Holly snapped.

“Well, you don’t have to be here. If you tell me where Igneous is, I’ll let you go.” Vraleus said, his claws grabbing the bars of Holly’s cage.

“Even if I knew where he was I wouldn’t tell you!.” Holly snarled.

“Oh well. Guess I’ll keep you here. Will I kill you? Will I turn you into a mindless slave? Oh well, who knows! What I do know is, I’ll take K’arthen. Soon, I will take everywhere. I honestly think it’s fun to watch you squirm.” 

“K’arthen has one of the strongest armies! You think you can get past them?!” 

“Ah, Holly, precious, stupid Holly! You have no idea what you’re dealing with!” Vraleus roared. Holly shrank back into the wall.

“What even are you…?” She cried. Vraleus laughed, sharp teeth showing. But he didn’t answer, he just walked off.

Holly was forced to look at the walls and have her mind race. Something felt wrong within her, but she had no way to understand, no way to figure it out. She shuddered, knowing that something wasn’t only wrong with Vraleus, but with her.

The possibilities terrified her.

====

“Vraleus.” A gruff voice greeted him. Vraleus smirked, glancing at the moon and back at the strange figure. “My people have seen what you have done.”

“I know.” Vraleus said, smiling. He grabbed a small dagger and held it up to the figure. “And I don’t care.”

“I’m not here to harm you Vraleus.” The figure said with a laugh. “I may be an Enderknight, but I don’t care for their politics. I’m here to help you.”

Vraleus sheathed the dagger. “Really?”

“Really.” 

“Who are you?” Vraleus asked, smiling widely. 

“Rhaegoth.” The figure then whistled. A large Ender Dragon landed right next to him.

Vraleus’ face suddenly turned into a scowl. “And where are the rest?” 

Rhaegoth sighed. 

“I don’t know.”

  
  



	3. Escape

She glared down at her hands. Running her fingers along her hand, she glanced back at the outside world. A shiver ran down her back. She had been sleeping less, eating more. She was awfully restless, yet the cell was incredibly small, incredibly tight. Something inside her wanted out, she could feel it. She gritted her teeth and ran her fingers along one of the bars. 

This went on for a couple moments. She just kept stroking the bars, as if she could sand them down with her fingers. 

_ Click, clack.  _ She heard someone walking. Skittering back, she tried to shrink into the wall again. Her breaths grew puffy, as if she was blowing through her mouth. She finally found herself shrinking into the wall.  _ Click, click. _

“Hellooooooo.” She heard a voice echo. Gritting her teeth harder, she shut her eyes. Soon, the paces had come before her. A soft laughing filled her ears. She gritted her teeth harder.

Her eyes shut tighter. Warmth spread across her face, anger tainting her very mind. Her thoughts grew frantic and so far away from what she was like that she opened her eyes and gasped. 

The bars had disappeared? She sat there for a moment. Reaching out, she found that she wasn’t seeing things. She looked to the side, and noticed that nobody was there.  _ What? This doesn’t make sense! _ She thought. And she was right, this had no sense to it. 

She looked around, and found the room was empty. But hadn’t she heard Vraleus’ voice earlier?  _ Gotta...get out of here…  _ She managed to think. Her mind felt muddled. She shook her head.

She stumbled out of the room and then out into the town. The people glared at her.  _ So...Dizzy...Can’t...Think…  _ But somehow, she managed her way out of the town, and as if in a trance she found herself in the woods.

_ Where are they?  _ She wondered. Igneous and his companions were still alive, weren’t they? Come on, if they weren’t alive, then why were they being hunted by Vraleus? You can’t hunt something that isn’t living!

“There’s only Hydraphel left. They must be there.” She murmured to herself. Her mind felt clearer, sharper. She knew it wasn’t only because her mind was clearing from whatever had happened to it, but that something had changed it. Her senses soon followed and she inhaled sharply.

Dread struck her.

Vraleus wouldn’t just...let her go. That didn’t….Especially with senses like this.

She needed to find them--but, no, she couldn’t. It was too risky, too dangerous. Was it worth risking her friends’ lives to find them?

A sense entered her, almost as if it was a vision. Suddenly, she knew exactly where they were. Hyperia. 

====

Igneous held the small child in his arms. She was curled up, cooing loudly. Quartz glanced at the small child and then looked back at the horde of Moonlits behind him. 

“I can’t get them to stop following me.” Igneous said softly at Quartz. Quartz shrugged.

“It’s because you’re basically one of the only Alphas left that Vraleus hasn’t taken.” Quartz said bluntly. Igneous flinched. 

“I don’t even know what an Alpha is!” Igneous whisper-yelled, curling his arms around the kid. “What does any of this mean?” 

“You know how you breathed three blasts of fire in Etherea, right?” 

“Yeah…?” Igneous asked with his eyebrows raised. 

“Well, you can do that and have three rows of spikes. Well, that’s obviously different from the other Moonlits and well--it’s hard to explain. It would just be better if you found it out yourself….because I don’t know much.” Quartz rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Well, if I’m in charge of them…” he looked over at the group of Moonlits. “How about you stay here for a moment?” They did so and he ran off. Quartz tilted his head.

“The heck are you doing?”

“Getting away from them!”

Quartz followed. Igneous laid down and heard Quartz sigh.

“I think you’re overreacting.”

Suddenly, the Moonlits caught up to them. They looked over at Igneous.

“Why did you do that” one of them asked

Igneous sighed. Before he could tell them that he just wanted to be left alone something roared. Igneous walked over, looking at the source of the noise. A wolf-like monster glared at him, adorned with long dark blue horns and spikes of the same tone. It snarled lowly.

Igneous eyed the child in his arms “I need to keep her safe. We need to get out of here.”

Suddenly the thing tackled Quartz to the ground. Its bright blue eye glowed with fury and it seemed undeterred by the amount of Moonlits surrounding it.

Quartz brought himself back to his feet. Igneous handed him Scoria.

“Take her out of here. I’ll deal with this thing.”

“Ahh…. A child. How precious.” the thing said in a voice Igneous could swore he recognized. Igneous heard Quartz running off and he tensed, ready to take on the thing. It lunged forwards and he kicked it back. It yowled as it hit a tree. Charging forwards, it roared. Igneous felt the thing’s horns impale the sides of his head. He roared in response, clawing at its shoulders. 

It pulled back, a smile filled with sharp teeth growing across its face. Soon, it disappeared into the wilderness. Igneous sat pokerfaced, feeling his wounds start to close. 

====

“What happened to you?” Senn asked.

Igneous stroked the side of his face. “I’m not entirely sure.” He tapped one of his feet. 

“What are we going to do next?” 

“I’m thinking we can go to K’arthen.” Igneous said with a smile. Senn looked behind Igneous’ shoulder. 

“And who are they?”

Igneous looked over at the Magnorites behind him and sighed. “They keep following me. I think they’re supposed to help us?” 

They heard a noise outside their room. Igneous walked over and looked outside.

“Holly?!”

  
  



	4. Rage

Igneous glanced at the open waters. He sighed, feeling uncomfortable at the sight of the sea. 

“Do you wonder why Kysia didn’t want to come?” Quartz asked.

“Of course I do, but I’m pretty sure she’s trying to protect Hydraphel or something.” Igneous responded. He looked over at Holly and noticed she seemed ill. She looked over and shushed him before he could ask. Igneous started to ponder why she did that until he was interrupted by Senn.

“Hey, um, Igneous?”

“Yeah?”

“I...Um...I feel like something’s about to go wrong.” 

Igneous would have offered Senn some encouragement if not for purple fire engulfing the ship. The two of them raced to the front of the ship. Igneous shivered, knowing that if the boat were to go down now, he would die. Igneous begged silently. 

Claws grabbed at him. He let out a shriek as the thing dragged him away from Senn. Senn shrieked, and Igneous thrashed at the large thing that grabbed him. The thing threw him against a rock and Igneous yowled. His vision blurred and darkened and he felt almost as if he was going to pass out.

The beast roared, stretching its large wings over him. He heard laughing in the distance.

“Why are you doing this, Vraleus?” 

“I’m not Vraleus.” and the voice was right. It was gruff, loud and booming. Igneous felt his back grow warm with oozing lava and he sobbed. The source of the voice cupped its fingers around Igneous’ chin. Igneous only whimpered softly. “Vraleus, however, sends his regards.” Even though the figure was masked, Igneous could sense the smile across its lips.

“Who...are...you?” Igneous managed. The figure laughed, steeping back. They held out a long, gray sword and tapped Igneous on the head with it. 

“I am Rhaegoth. I’m guessing you already know  _ what  _ I am.”

“An Enderknight…? Working for Vraleus?!” Igneous managed. He coughed and felt lava dribble down his chest. A sob escaped his as he realized he was basically dead. Rhaegoth giggled and looked behind himself. 

Something slashed Rhaegoth’s shoulder. Rhaegoth snarled, looking at the figure that harmed him. 

Senn stood in front of Rhaegoth, clutching his spear. “Get away from him.” He spat. Igneous managed to stumble back a little. Senn charged forwards with his spear, ready to stab Rhaegoth again. 

“Senn! Wait! Don’t!” Igneous screamed. Senn screamed as he charged forward. Rhaegoth charged forward….

And promptly impaled Senn in the stomach.

“SENN!” Igneous screamed. Senn let out a heavy breath before he collapsed. Igneous limped over to Senn and started to sob.

“Igneous…” Senn started.

“Please...Senn…”

Senn handed him his spear. “Keep this. Please.” 

“But it’s yours…” 

Senn sighed. “Not anymore.” Senn coughed. “You’re a great friend, you know that? Can you do me one last favor?” 

Igneous nodded. 

“Smile. Please.” 

Igneous managed to give his friend one last smile. Senn smiled before his colors faded and he fell limp. Igneous cried out and felt Rhaegoth sit beside him. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll be joining him soon.” He said as he put a hand on Igneous’ shoulder. Igneous glared at Rhaegoth and slammed him into the ground. Rhaegoth only laughed in response. “You’re dying either way, kid.” 

Igneous didn’t dare dignify Rhaegoth with a response. He was filled with pure, unadulterated rage. He screamed, or well, tried to, but only a roar came out. He fell to the ground, mind racing with violent thoughts. He heard Rhaegoth laugh. The dragon raced to his side, large wings unfurling. It roared, pinning Igneous to the ground. He raked his claws against the large beast.

Rhaegoth watched, snickering at first and then laughing loudly. He watched the dragon pin the dying Magnorite into the ground. The dragon started to breathe its suffocating purple flame. 

And then the flames turned  _ orange _ . Rhaegoth’s eyes widened. He stepped back as his dragon was thrown back. A large monster had replaced the dying Magnorite, a beast larger than the Moonlits Vraleus commanded.

For goodness sake, it was  _ larger  _ than his dragon! It roared and Rhaegoth felt himself start to grow cold. The dragon snarled, standing back up. Fire steamed from both creature’s mouths. They circled each other for a couple minutes. Rhaegoth just sat there, watching the beasts duel.

The large rock beast charged forward, using its horns to gore the dragon’s side. It roared in pain and bit the beast’s side. The rock beast roared and raked its claws across the dragon’s chest. The two ripped and clawed and bit for hours. 

The rock beast tore the dragon’s wings off of it back with its teeth. Blood oozed out from the holes where the wings used to be. The dragon shrieked, falling to its side. Rhaegoth watched in horror as his dragon had its throat torn out. The rock beast devoured the thing within seconds, and all that was left was bloodied bones. 

Rhaegoth ran like hell, trying to escape the beast that tore down his dragon. It blew fire at him and knocked him on his side. He yowled as the thing took its time. It smiled before coating his back in fire. It toyed with his bloodied, burned body, tearing it apart in time. 

By the time Rhaegoth was barely a pile of ash, the thing noticed it was growing exhausted. It looked up at the sky one last time and remembered what--who it was.

Igneous looked behind himself, now faced with what he had done. He fell forwards, flat on his stomach and felt everything become towering. He sobbed, not from the pain of his burning body, but from what had happened.

He glanced over at his friend’s body. He would have rushed to his friend’s side if not for how much it hurt to breathe. He sniffled.

“I’m sorry Senn...” Igneous cried.

“It’s not your fault.” he heard someone say.

“Holly?” Igneous managed to ask as he looked over at her. She nodded. “How did you get here?”

“I followed you guys onto the boat. I must have...snuck instead of telling you I was coming.” She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. Igneous sobbed louder and Holly seemed awfully confused. She looked over to where he was glancing and gaped. “Did Vraleus do this?”

“Rhaegoth.” Igneous managed. “He...He killed him….” 

“And then you turned into a huge monster.” Holly said, crossing her arms. Igneous slapped his head into the ground and screamed softly into the ground. Holly sighed. “I presume Rhaegoth was working for Vraleus?”

“Yes.” Igneous murmured.

“Then,” Holly glared at the ground and back at Igneous, “we have more reason to kill Vraleus.”

  
  



	5. What is Reality?

“Igneous?” 

He groaned audibly. He had been out of it for an entire week, passing in and out of consciousness. A quick glance at the figure told him it was Quartz.

“What are you doing here?” 

“We heard what happened in K’arthen.” He said. Igneous squinted.

“‘We’?” 

“Yeah, I brought Scoria.” He held out the small Magnorite. She squeaked. 

“Oh thank goodness.” he sighed. Quartz sat down next to him. 

“We need to talk.” 

“What? Why?” Igneous croaked. Quartz glared at him. “Is it because of what I did to that Enderdragon?” 

“Yeah, that form you went into? That’s...well, it’s very dangerous. Don’t do that again.” 

“I was going to die… And besides, Senn was dead and I...I was….” Igneous gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists. 

“Senn is dead?” 

“Of course he’s dead! Why would I say he’s dead if he isn’t?!”

Quartz’s eyes widened. Igneous recoiled and groaned audibly. “I’m such a jerk. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t blame you for snapping...” Quartz replied.

“What am I supposed to tell his family?” Igneous asked meekly.

Quartz only stayed silent.

Igneous stared up at the sky for a while. He passed out again and when he awoke, someone stood above him.

“Who are you?!” He shouted, shutting his eyes from the force of his own shout. The figure stepped back heavily. Igneous opened his eyes and then felt his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. 

Before him was his mother.

“You’re dead!” He screamed, shutting his eyes again. His breathing grew shaky and then he started to cry. Shaking, he wrapped his arms around himself. His body ached and burned and his throat started to feel awful.

“Igneous, honey, I’m so proud…” She said shakily. Her voice sounded so close to sobbing.

“How do I know that you’re not a trick of Vraleus…?” He asked, looking over at her. She stepped forward and showed him her arm. Her arm looked like it was torn up, covered in scars. His mother looked at him, eyes foggy with sadness.

“You know what I am now. I’m just hoping he didn’t hurt you that much…”

“He’s dead.” Igneous said, voice flat. His mother’s eyes widened. “I killed him.” Her voice grew shaky at those last words.

“My baby…. How much did he hurt you…?”

“I thought he killed you.” Igneous was holding back his rage now. “He killed my brother, though, I know that. You know that.”

“HE DIDN’T KILL YOUR BROTHER. HE TOOK HIM.” She shrieked. Igneous fell onto his back. He started to sob loudly and curled into the fetal position. His mother started to murmur softly and stroked his back. Igneous kept sobbing, his chest feeling almost as if it was going to rip itself away from his body.

He pulled away, and his mother stepped back. She sat down and watched him shiver and shake. 

“It’s gonna be okay.” she said.

And then he faded again.

=====

Igneous followed his mother into K’arthen. She looked at him, and then back at the ground. People stared at him and Igneous shrank under their glances. They soon made their way to the guards and they glared at him.

“Hold it!”

“I’m just passing by. I want to make sure everyone is safe.” He said. The guard glanced back at his companion and shrugged. The two stepped back and Igneous headed into the capital. The people kept glaring and Igneous felt his eyes grow cloudy.

Soon, Igneous was face to face with Malakai. Igneous felt his voice catch in his throat as he was eyed up. Malakai’s eyes rested on his scar.

“A sign of weakness.” He hissed. Igneous shrank back. “And you’re small. You basically are worse than an Omega.” 

Igneous stepped back. “A what?” Malakai stopped talking, turning his back to Igneous. 

“Kill him.” He shouted, his voice growing into a roar. Igneous’ eyes widened. He stepped back.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Igneous screamed. Malakai only walked off. Igneous felt something rip through his chest and he fell forward. He cried out, shook, and then fell flat. He sniffled, feeling his vision close around him. 

He stood up and glanced around. The realm he was in stretched around, and was only black with small, star-like dots. Igneous walked forwards and found the place to be seemingly infinite. 

“So...I’m dead.” Igneous said. He glanced around, sat down and started to cry. “I’ve failed everyone! I’m...AND NOW I’M TRAPPED HERE!?” He slammed his fist into the empty space. He screamed, roared and cried out. Curling back up into a ball, he found that the ground felt cold and empty. 

“So you have seen what I can do, Ragnarok?” He heard a voice boom. Igneous shivered, whimpering pathetically. The voice laughed. “I expected more from you. Funny, how that’s an ending for someone like you, but yet it’s not the end for you.”

“You’re not making sense!” Igneous screamed. Vraleus appeared out of the mist and he giggled. 

“Of course I’m not, Ragnarok.”

“That’s not my name.” Igneous hissed. “I’M IGNEOUS!” Vraleus only laughed. 

“Are you sure? Let’s see how you fair in the real world!”

“What?! I thought this...this was real!” 

Vraleus smiled, eyes glowing green for a moment. He raised one of his hands.

And Igneous knew no more.

  
  



	6. Fragments

Igneous jolted awake. He grabbed at his chest and then felt at the tree behind him. His eyes scanned around his area. He was in the forest, not in K’arthen...how?

He stood up. Quickly, he ran his hands along his horns. They were smaller than they were in the dream. Confused, he made his way towards a stream. He glanced at his reflection and found he was a normal Magnorite.

“...Okay….now this is freaking me out.” He shook his head and decided he could figure this out later. He had places to go, books to read! 

_ Moonlits...huh, sounds like something out of one of the books I read. Must have gotten caught up in a daydream again.  _ He thought to himself as he walked off. Soon, he rested his back against a tree.

He glanced over and noticed a small town. They sounded as if they were full of angry, yelling people. Igneous sighed, and buried his face into his book. Suddenly, he heard them screaming about a Magnorite. He groaned and threw his head back. Of course they noticed him.

_ As long as they don’t get near I should be fine.  _ Igneous thought.

He heard the people scream for a while. Suddenly, it stopped, and lowered into chatter. Igneous glanced back at the town but couldn’t see anything. He shrugged and glanced back at his book. He didn’t notice the figure approaching him until they cleared their throat.

“Oh hello there.” Igneous said, caught off guard.

“Uh...Hi?” Senn said back.

_ Wait a minute--is that the Senn guy? How is this possible?  _ Igneous thought.

“I don’t mind you reading here, but I think the people want you to leave.” Senn suddenly said.

Igneous’ mind was racing. He was filled with terror. He blurted something out. “I saw you die, Senn!”

Senn backed away. “How do you know me? Who are you?!” he stuttered.

“Listen, listen, I know this is crazy but I saw you in some kind of dream thing...Also, I’m Igneous.”

“I don’t have a single idea what you’re saying--” Senn admitted.

“It’s...it’s weird. I don’t exactly know what to say...” Igneous said.

“May I ask you what exactly happened in your dream?” Senn asked.

Igneous tried his best to summarize. Senn looked awfully confused by Igneous’ statement.

“That still doesn’t make sense.” Senn said.

“Does it make sense now?” Igneous heard a familiar voice say. He stepped back as he saw the man from his vision land before them. 

Vraleus smirked. Senn stepped back and Igneous froze in absolute fear. “You---you are Vraleus….You’re real….” Igneous stuttered.

“Of course I’m real.” 

“What do you want from us?” Senn asked, voice shaky. “

Igneous looked at Senn and grabbed his arm. He started to run and hoped he would be fast enough to escape.

Vraleus pulled him back with powers Igneous didn’t understand. Igneous felt himself collide into the ground. Vraleus smirked. “Why are you running?” Vraleus asked with an awful smirk. “Don’t you know you’re just a pawn?

Igneous stepped back, confused by the statement. Suddenly, a rush of pain and agonizingly blazing heat rushed through him. He wrapped his arms around himself and closed his eyes.

“I-Igneous! What--What’s--” Senn tried to say. Igneous opened his eyes and noticed that Senn had his hands over his mouth. Igneous’ legs buckled and he fell on his hands and knees. He tried to cry out, but his voice only gurgled softly. Igneous noticed that his very skin seemed to be sloughing off. He tried to scream, but no noise came out. His body continued to melt and pull and stretch. 

His limbs stretched and his melting form made his senses dull. His body continued to burn and ache and he wanted to cry. He was trapped in his own form, his own thoughts as he grew in size, strength. 

His body started to cool down and he let out a sigh. Sizzling filled the air and he could hear the heat leaving his body. Another gentle sigh escaped him. He lapped his tongue against his sharpened teeth. 

He looked at his body. He had become a Moonlit, not one of the Alpha ones, but the exact one he turned into after the bite in his dream.

Igneous tried to say something, to scream, to tell Senn he was afraid, he was in pain, but only an animalistic cry came out. Senn stepped back and looked at Vraleus with horror.

“What did you do to him!?” Senn cried out. Vraleus laughed.

“He’s mine for me to use.” 

Suddenly, Vraleus was hit in the head with a glass bottle. Igneous stepped back, preparing himself. Vraleus looked over at the drunk who had thrown the bottle. He threw fireballs at the drunks and soon screaming filled the air. Vraleus continued into the small town and Senn and Igneous watched on in horror.

Igneous saw his chance and pulled Senn away with his jaws. Senn struggled and shrieked out in protest.

“Wait! My horse!” Senn shouted.

Igneous tried to tell Senn there was no chance, but only managed to let out a throaty growl. Senn cried out again, but Igneous continued to pull him away from the fires. 

Vraleus, after his rage against the town glanced over at a familiar figure. He glanced back where the duo once was. He glared back at the figure and smirked.

“Seems like you still haven’t killed me.” 

The figure refused to dignify him with a response.

“You’ve been growing weak, haven’t you, Kaius?” Vraleus taunted.

“I hoped you wouldn’t become the monster you are now...” Kaius said, filled with regret..

“You tried to murder me!” Vraleus snapped.

Kaius remembered that night 200 years ago. He had used the powers he had taught one of his students to see Vraleus’ future. He saw awful things, things he never thought possible. Kaius opened his eyes and threw the visions from his mind. He pulled out a dagger and charged forwards. Vraleus awoke and in a desperate fit created a barrier out of pure magic.

Kaius slammed the dagger against the barrier and it cracked. Vraleus teared up a little and let out an incoherent shrieking. He held the barrier before him and Kaius continued his assault. The barrier fizzled into nothing and Vraleus collapsed.

Kaius readied his knife. He raised his arm.

And promptly swung it back down by his side. He glared at the ground and whispered softly.

“I can’t do it.” 

When he looked back up, Vraleus was gone. 

“I made a mistake then, but I won’t make it now.” Kaius shouted, rushing forwards. Vraleus pulled out his staff, and it glowed brightly at the tip. Kaius stepped back, readying himself for whatever Vraleus was preparing. 

Vraleus blasted a shockwave forwards. Kaius shut his eyes. Vraleus laughed as the charge approached, but Kaius stayed steady.

Kaius raised his hands.

And before him, a barrier formed. The blast made contact and quickly disintegrated. Vraleus watched this happen in horror and almost fell to his knees. Kaius stepped forwards, glaring daggers at Vraleus. Vraleus stood tall, trying to hide the fear that was filling him.

He felt as if he was a mere child again. 

Kaius continued to approach slowly. Vraleus regained his composure and charged another bolt. However, Kaius kept his word, now no longer a fool, and quickly dodged. Vraleus roared out in absolute rage, almost snapping his staff against the ground. He didn’t, because he had enough rationale to know that would be like throwing his weapon into lava. 

Kaius got back up to his feet and tackled Vraleus. He pulled at Vraleus’ weapon and managed to pull it out of his hands. He threw it to the side quickly. His former student screamed and kicked him off. Kaius felt himself collide with the ground. He yelled a couple curses, but stayed on the ground. He just….he just needed to fool Vraleus. Make him think he was just an old man...then he could enact what he had been waiting for for a long, long time. 

Vraleus, while he wasn’t an idiot by any standard, took the bait. He chuckled, raising his staff up to Kaius’ face. Kaius pulled his best doe eyes, pleading and begging for Vraleus to not take his life. Vraleus only smirked, grabbing his staff tighter. Kaius couldn’t help but smile. Vraleus was taken aback! And then Kaius seized his moment, his only chance.

With a shout, energy engulfed him. He stood up and aimed it at his former student. Vraleus shrieked as it hit him and he fell to the ground, seizing in pain. Kaius raised his dagger, the same one that had been thirsting for Vraleus’ blood years before.

And then Vraleus disappeared.

Kaius’ eyes widened to the size of oversized dinner plates. He blinked, shook his head, blinked again and looked in front of himself.

_ What the hell? _

Vraleus jumped from behind. He held an axe made out of pure energy. Kaius, despite being caught off guard, threw himself away from Vraleus’ attack. Kaius felt himself growing weak again so he pulled out his dagger. He charged forwards and managed to nick Vraleus’ shoulder. Vraleus roared and threw him back with a charge. Kaius slammed against one of the burning buildings. Vraleus managed to pin Kaius down and Kaius, in a last resort, grab at his former student’s face. 

Vraleus was brought back to that night. Kaius unsheathed his dagger, and in doing so, freed Vraleus from the vision. Vraleus kicked at Kaius but he managed to get another slash in.

“You may be a novice when it comes to magic, but you cannot fight to save your life. ” Kaius said.

“You’re too old to stop me.” Vraleus said with a gasp.

“Maybe, but there will always be more than just me.” Kaius uttered weakly.

Vraleus laughed before he raised a sword made out of pure energy. He shoved it through Kaius’ chest. The last thing Kaius ever heard was that awful laughter.

===== 

A month later, Senn and Igneous had managed their way into Crown Peak.

“Are you sure this lady is going to help us?” Senn asked, stopping Igneous for a moment. Igneous eyed his feet, and kicked one of them up. 

“Not everything in my dream has happened exactly how it’s happening now, but I think it’s at least worth a shot.” He said. 

As they walked over to where Igneous swore he saw Holly, Igneous got lost in his thoughts. Often, he would wonder if he was dreaming again, if what he saw before was real and that this was the dream. 

He brushed Senn aside when they got there. He rapped on the door and it opened. A man stood there, eyeing them up.

“Now this is an odd group.” He muttered.

“We’re looking for Holly.” Igneous said. The man tilted his head. 

“What do you need Holly for? You’re not hurt.” In response to this, Igneous pulled the door shut. He ran his claws down Senn’s arm.

“Ow! Why did you do that?!” Senn shouted. Igneous gestured Senn close and whispered something softly.

“It’s the best plan I could think of. See? Now you’re injured.” And with that, Igneous opened the door again. “See his arm? He’s hurt!” Igneous said, flapping Senn’s arm. Senn immediately started to contemplate his life while Igneous flapped his arm around some more. The man shoved his head into his hands and shouted for Holly. He disappeared into the building and Igneous let go of Senn’s arm. 

“That was a stupid idea.” Senn muttered, rubbing at his now bleeding arm.

“It worked, though! Give me that!” Igneous shouted, feeling himself grow irate. He stopped himself, shook his head. 

“Come in!” Someone shouted and Igneous lost track of his thoughts. He dragged Senn into the building and Senn yelped. 

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” Senn’s cry was drawn out. It would have made Igneous laugh if he was paying any attention at all. Senn, after he was brought in, quickly regained his composure and groaned in pain. Now his wound had picked the perfect time to start stinging. 

Igneous, however, was ecstatic. He believed that finding Holly would be exactly what he needed to prevent any awful event ever. 

Holly looked at the two of them, obviously confused and a bit weirded out. Senn just presented his arm to her. She examined it, flicked her wrist and the wound closed. Igneous stepped back.

“You didn’t do that in my dream.” And in response to his weird words, Holly grimaced. 

“Are you crazy or something?” She asked.

“Oh, yeah, I need to talk to you.” Igneous said as calmly as he could. He was so excited, knowing what she could do now. “I had this odd...dream? Vision thing? It involved this guy named Vraleus. I remember you and I were working together to stop him and--”

Holly held her hand up in front of him. Igneous shivered, expecting her to call him crazy again. She sighed.

“I thought Vraleus was dead. Knowing the power he wielded--I thought it was inevitable that he would do something like that. Now, let me see this dream.”

“See?” Igneous asked. Holly nodded and put her hands on his face. Igneous, in a split second, remembered when Holly did something similar to this in his vision. He gaped his mouth open as he suddenly felt his mind grow blank. He tried to fight, but she was too strong and pilfered through his mind. He cried, screamed, and then realized she wasn’t hurting him. Somehow, it was as if she was grabbing his very thoughts, his memories.

“You were out for a whole month.” She said flatly as she pulled her hands away. Igneous was too flabbergasted, not only from his mind being scrambled, but also from what she had said. Senn just sat there, pokerfaced, unable to react. He, at this point, just wanted to crawl under a rock and phase out of existence. 

“You...you show signs of being knocked out...intentionally...by Vraleus.” Holly said, voice growing scratchier with each word. “I tried to find out why, but those...those memories, it’s as if they were destroyed, rubble, dust.”

Igneous just sat there for a moment, trying to recover. 

“I know it’s hard knowing this.” 

“In the last part of my dream, when I died, he called me...Ragnarok.” Igneous said, his words feeling distant. Holly stepped back, turned around and disappeared. When she came back, she held out a sword made out of hardened lava.

“This is a fragment of Ragnarok. I doubt you two are related,” She handed him the sword. Igneous ran his fingers along its grooves. “Ragnarok was destroyed by Vraleus when he grew too powerful for him to control. Vraleus created Ragnarok, ironically. This sword was molded from the very lava of Ragnarok. The Magnorites took it for a while after Ragnarok’s death, passing it to those of great honor.”

“Why did the Magnorites have that sword?” Senn asked. Igneous was too entranced by the sword to notice Holly’s monologue. 

“Because Ragnarok was a scourge amongst them, a beast made of lava that could take any form it pleased.”

“And why would Vraleus call Igneous Ragnarok?” Senn asked with horror. Holly sighed.

“To mess with him, I guess. He had reason to pull him under, so who’s to say he wouldn’t want to screw with him in more ways than one?” 

“What do we do to prevent him taking over?” Igneous asked.

Igneous suddenly started to wonder more about Ragnarok. He glanced at the sword and his vision swam. Someone called to him, speaking in a language he didn’t understand. Suddenly, the trance broke.

“Igneous!” Senn shouted.

“The sword! I-it...It just started speaking to me!”

“Yeah uh---that doesn’t make any sense. Nobody’s ever said that before.” Holly said. Igneous sighed and relaxed his shoulders.

“Do you know how I can get my memories back?

“I know someone in Meridian who can.”

“Then let’s head to Meridian.” Igneous said, holding up the sword. Holly smiled.

“You guys need to prepare first, though.” She said with a chuckle.

  
  



	7. Sand, the Worst Thing Ever.

Two months later the three arrived at Meridian. Senn and Holly stepped out of the boat first. Igneous stepped out of the boat last and his feet sank into the sand. Igneous sighed. He trudged behind his friends

_ Great. Sand. Never knew I hated it but I guess I do now.  _ Igneous thought to himself.

Holly and Senn continued to make their way through Cydonia. Igneous followed, albeit slowly. He tripped a couple times but eventually they made their way into Meridian and Igneous clambered onto the street.

“I HATE SAND!” Igneous shouted. Every civilian glared at him, as he was not only a Magnorite but also one that screamed the obvious. Holly shoved her head into her palms.She strolled up towards a dark brown wooden door and knocked on it. Senn and Igneous followed closely and waited for the door to open. It flew open and a woman with long, blonde hair and deep green eyes greeted them, her pale skin almost the same color as sand. She grimaced.

“Ah, it’s you and you brought company. The best kind. What are you? Trying to get yourself killed? I knew you and Kaius were awful people, trusting Magnorites--” she asked frustratedly.

“ANNOFYNE SHUT UP FOR A MOMENT.” Holly shouted. She took in a deep breath. “We need help, it involves Vraleus.” Holly explained to her.

“Let me guess, you played with fire and got burnt.” Annofyne replied with a sigh.

“I didn’t cause this.” Holly said in return.

Annofyne let out a little chuckle “That’s a first.” she uttered under her breath.

Holly ushered for Igneous to stand beside her. Annofyne’s eyebrows raised as she saw Igneous. She closed her eyes and then looked shocked. “He---Just come inside.” Igneous gestured for Senn to come inside, and he did so. Annofyne around, grabbing sand and scribbling runes on the ground.

Igneous was called into the center of the rune. He sat down and felt confused.

“Now this may hurt a bit, but I must enter your memories.” Annofyne said.

Igneous was taken aback. He stepped out of the circle, fearing the violation it would bring.“

“Please don’t...” Igneous begged.

“Darling, it won’t be that bad. I’m just going to try and see your future.” Annofyne said.

“What? I thought we were getting my past back?” Igneous asked.

“I can’t find that, but I have a sense your future is awful. I just need to see it. That’s why I have this sand. It’s my gateway to finding your future.” she responded.

“What did you see that made you want to see my future?” Igneous asked.

Annofyne took a deep breath. Igneous shivered at the idea, the thought of knowing his own future. “Vraleus will use you to burn cities, to bring Ardonia to its knees.”

Igneous stepped back.  _ No no no no no no no no….  _ He thought _.  _ He then turned towards Annofyne. “Please just make it quick.” Igneous begged.

“I will try to. Just don’t squirm.” Annofyne replied.

Igneous was then put under.

===

Igneous wandered through Etherea. His body felt odd and he tried to stand up. He found his body resisted, and he fell back onto all fours. He glanced at his hands and found they were larger. He was a Moonlit again.

_ No, no, no, I don’t want this make it stop.  _ Igneous thought frantically.

Just then a voice boomed inside his head “It’s not my fault. Just let this happen, it’s not real, at least not yet.” it sounded like Annofyne.

Igneous whimpered. He stepped back and noticed fire licking at the buildings. He stepped forwards and saw himself kneeling before Vraleus as a Moonlit. Igneous stepped back at the sight of himself  _ worshipping  _ that awful thing.

“Kill the Queen. Take her down.” Vraleus chanted. Igneous tilted his head. Who was the Queen? Why did Vraleus want her dead? He noticed the outline of the fire and the figures looked like blue tinted sand. 

Igneous felt a jolt run through him. He awoke and glanced at his companions. They looked at him and he heard Annofyne sigh.

“This should be easy to prevent.” Annofyne mumbled.

The walls suddenly caved in. Igneous pulled himself back. Vraleus landed before them and smirked.“You can’t take me!” Igneous shouted.

“Oh really?” Vraleus asked. He snapped his fingers and Igneous disappeared. Senn screamed in shock. Holly and Annofyne watched in horror as Vraleus disappeared next. 

  
  



	8. The Plan

“How the heck are we supposed to get Igneous back?” Annofyne asked after the smoke cleared. Senn’s eyes widened.

“They’re going to Etherea.” He said it very matter of factly. Annofyne looked at him, almost asked him a question and then stopped. She turned away and sighed. 

“You’d have to go all the way back to Conchord to go there again.” She said.

“We need to get there. Vraleus is going to set that place on fire or worse if we don’t stop him. He told me so! It’s something Igneous saw in his dream!”

Holly headed over to Annofyne. “Please, we need to leave as soon as possible.”

“You can leave, Holly.” She turned around and growled. “I’m not coming with you. This is my home and I’m not just going to leave because you need help.” Holly stepped back.

“This is Vraleus we’re talking about. Are you kidding me?! Your powers could be of use to us, unless…” She paused. “You sympathize with him, don’t you?” She said, raising a finger and almost jabbing it forward. Annofyne glared.

“No. I don’t. I just don’t care.”

“And why is that?” 

“I’ve lived many more lives than I should have. I have seen things and they alter me, fragment me, destroy me. I couldn’t help you even if I cared.” 

Holly looked away. “Then we’re leaving. Come on, Senn. We need to hurry.” 

Senn and Holly stepped outside. They hurried to the docks, but there were no boats.

“Where are the boats?” Senn asked, stepping up to one of the guards. The guard sighed.

“We’re closing the borders. We can’t handle any one leaving or entering.”

“So basically we’re stuck.” Holly said.

“What are we going to do? Swim?” Senn asked, irritated.

Holly then sighed “I could try to teleport us off the island. However, I’m not the greatest at it.”

“We don’t have much choice.” Senn said, crossing his arms.

Holly grabbed Senn’s shoulder and sighed. Senn flinched, closing his eyes. He felt uncomfortable, as one does when they are touched suddenly. Holly shut her eyes and Senn swallowed his complaint. Holly focused, made obvious by how tense she was.

Their vision swam with bright colors. The environment screamed. It shrieked loudly, screaming like a dying cat. It was high-pitched and shrill.

And promptly, after the brightness and screaming cut out, they flew face first into the dirt. Holly coughed, gagged and sputtered, before spitting out the sand.

“Bleck.” she uttered.

“Holly where are we?” Senn asked faintly, his face buried in the sand.

Holly glanced around, and unfortunately, she was nowhere near Crown Peak. She and her companion were in the middle of K’arthen.

“Welp, we’re screwed.” Holly said.

“Where did you want to go” Senn slurred.

Holly wanted to slam her face into a wall. Senn looked almost as if he drunk and Holly could only guess it was from the teleport.

”Hopefully the people here will help us.” She managed.

“I thought they broke from the union.” Senn stated.

“They did, but knowing these times they might be helpful. Who knows.”.

Holly gestured for Senn to come along. She heard him stumble. She looked back and at the right time too, because Senn had picked the perfect time to stumble down a hill and scream like he had just seen the face of death.

“OH FOR THE LOVE OF-” Holly shouted.

Senn continued to roll down the hill. Holly flicked her wrist and managed to pull him toward her, a glowy faint blue aura surrounding him when she did. She held him tightly and walked into K’arthen. The people looked over at her.

“We need help.” Holly said, one arm wrapped around Senn. The way he was leaning threatened to pull her down with him. 

“Aw, is your friend drunk?” One of the Magnorites asked with a laugh. Holly gritted her teeth and held Senn tighter. 

“That’s not my problem. We need a way to Crown Peak.” 

The civilians exchanged glances and laughed. “There’s a beacon but I doubt Malakai will--”

“Thank you.” Holly said, pulling Senn’s limp form with her as she continued through the capitol. She glanced at the buildings and the civilians. They glared daggers at her and it made her uneasy. She continued to drag Senn along until she saw the faint outline of a beacon. “There.” She said, looking at Senn. Senn only groaned and looked as if he was going to either puke or pass out. Holly hoped for the latter. 

She made her way to the beacon and kept Senn close as she prepared herself for the jump. Her vision started to swim with bright colors and she heard shouting.

“What are they doing?!”

“Destroy that beacon!” 

She focused all of her remaining energy on making the transition as fast as possible. They couldn’t survive the destruction of a beacon. Especially not now. 

The bright colors eventually faded and she found herself and Senn at Crown Peak. Senn’s eyes had closed and he was limp as a noodle. She managed to trudge forward, feet feeling distant from her body. 

“Holly?” She heard someone ask right before she collapsed.

=====

What happened?” She asked right after regaining consciousness. A Magnorite and the man from the day she met Senn were across from her. 

“Ah, I--er--I found you.” The Magnorite spoke. 

“Shale?” Holly asked. The Magnorite nodded. 

“What the heck happened to you?” He asked. 

“I was trying to get here from Cydonia and then K’arthen. Long story. Basically, we’re hunting down a Magnorite named Igneous---”

“My son?” Shale asked. Holly’s eyes widened.

“You never told me you were a father.” 

“I’m not his true father but I adopted him when I was much younger. That was before I got cursed.”

“That’s how you got turned into a Moonlit?”

“Yeah, Vraleus wanted the kid back.” Shale said, dark blue eyes going soft. “I don’t know why, but I don’t care about being a monster. I only care about the kid. Please, don’t hurt him.”

“I’m not going to! He was kidnapped by Vraleus!” Holly shouted before breaking out in a coughing fit. Shale’s eyes went wide and he laid Holly down.

“You should be better tomorrow. I’m sorry for misunderstanding you.” He said with a sigh. “I would tell you to rest longer but this is Igneous we’re talking about.” Shale brushed at his spikeless back. “I lost my spikes getting that kid. I can’t lose him. Not now. Not ever.” 

“Then let me go now. We can get him back.” 

“Not with you like this!” 

“You’re Igneous’ dad?” A faint voice asked. Shale and Holly looked over. Senn was barely conscious, his markings dim. Shale nodded. Senn flopped his head back. “He said you were evil in his dream.”

“Dream?” Shale asked and looked over Holly. 

“Also a long story. We should focus on getting Igneous back.” Holly sighed and shook her head. “We won’t be able to catch up to Vraleus on foot or even on horse. We’d need something...something like a dragon for goodness sake.”

Shale smiled. “I got a contact that can help with that. Topaz!” He whistled loudly and a rather large bird with brilliant blue feathers arrived, landing on his rocky arm.

“Yes, Shale?” the messenger bird asked. Shale smirked.

“Tell Rhaegoth to meet us at Crown Peak and to bring his dragon. We need him.” 

“From what I’ve heard,” Topaz flexed one of his claws and preened his feathers, “Rhaegoth is busy with the Queen.” 

“What is Vraleus going to do with my boy?” Shale asked gravely. Holly sighed.

“He’s going to burn cities.” Holly groaned.

“Tell him to bring the whole damn cavalry!” Shale demanded loudly. Topaz chirped a couple notes.

“It’s gonna cost you.” He sang. 

“What do I need to pay you?” Shale asked before groaning. Topaz tapped his chin. 

“I would like you to get me some seeds.” Topaz chittered. Shale sighed and opened a chest. He handed a packet of seeds to the messenger bird. Topaz chirped and sang a small tune. “Thank you!” He quickly flew out of the window.

  
  



	9. The Rescue

_ Click.  _ The door cried. He collided into the ground and his vision grew thin. A soft cry escaped him and he shuddered, hearing the door close behind him. He stood up and glanced around his room. It wasn’t a room but a cage. 

He sat down, feeling small in this huge cage. Despite never having a home, he desperately wanted to go there, to be there. And then he remembered he didn’t have a home and never would have one. 

Somehow, however, this place felt familiar. He looked at the hollow walls, the huge space, clearly made for his larger form and then he remembered. 

He had been in a cage like this when he was little. He was born in a cage. Those first couple of days he would wander in his cage, he would struggle around. And then he remembered the first time Vraleus shoved a diamond knife through his arm. 

He cried, like any child would, but Vraleus would not stop. Stab after stab went through the small Magnorite’s arm. And then suddenly Vraleus pulled back. He watched the child cry and clutch at his arm.

And then the wounds healed, reforming without a single scar. The child winced and cried, knowing instinctively that this only meant more pain.

Vraleus opened the door again and glanced in the room. Igneous had curled up into a ball, begging and crying. Vraleus laughed, knowing exactly what the poor guy was remembering.

“Do you remember now, Ragnarok?” 

Despite it all, Igneous could not remember.

=====

The loud flapping of wings filled the air. Shale stepped outside of Holly’s house. The dragon looked over at the rather large Magnorite.

“Will we be able to get there before the next full moon?” Shale asked. The dragon and their rider tilted their heads at the same time. “I heard my son has become a Moonlit and I don’t want Vraleus using him.” 

“We’ll need as many people as possible.” Senn said.

Holly nodded. She waved Shale forwards and he came inside. Senn followed. They both huddled around a table.

“It cost me a lot,” Shale brought out a map and placed it on the table, “but I got us a map of Ardonia.”

“That’s great! Now we have to figure out where we’re going.” Senn responded.

“How about we follow Vraleus and sneak up on him?” Holly suggested.

“And how would that work?” Senn asked.

“We go to Etherea.” Holly said, pointing at the map. Shale and Senn glanced at each other, wanting to object. They stayed in silence.

“Etherea it is then.” Holly said, breaking the silence. They followed her outside.

They headed over to a dragon. Holly waved at its rider and then they tried to hop onto the dragon. It swung its tail and they fell back. 

“Luna! Don’t!” The dragon’s rider shouted a bit too late. She then turned to help Holly, Senn, and Shale up.

“Are you guys okay?” She asked.

“Yes, Abbigail.” Holly said.

“Sorry about my dragon. She’s not very open to new people just yet.” Abbigail explained. 

“I see that. Can you and your Ender Knights take us to Etherea?”

“Yeah. Why else would we be here?” Abbigail said before giggling a little. She patted Luna on the back with two hands. “Now let them on.” 

Luna snorted and then spread out her wings and let them climb on.

“Now be gentl--” Senn started. Luna ran, spread out her wings and then lifted off. Senn shrieked.

====

“Woah!” Senn shouted as Luna passed rather close to a building. He hanged onto the back of the dragon for dear life. Whenever he wasn’t squinting and flinching he found the views breathtaking, but now? Now he was mostly flinching and squirming.

“I take that it’s your first time on a dragon?” Abbigail asked before chuckling a little.

“At least he isn’t dry heaving.” Shale said on the back of another dragon. He looked at the commander of the dragon, a man coated in thick armor. “Right, Rhaegoth?”

“Oh please, shut up about that time.” Rhaegoth shouted, turning around for a moment. “What else was I supposed to do? Tenebris happened to be flying so fast that I was lucky to  _ just _ be dry heaving.” 

Shale let out a hearty laugh. “You’re acting like a child.” 

“Shut up.”

“There you go again!” Shale was barely able to speak, he was laughing so hard. 

“Oh no I think I’m gonna--” Senn started to heave.

“OH FOR GOODNESS SAKE!” Rhaegoth shouted. Abbigail gave him a glare that could have easily killed him. Rhaegoth rolled his eyes in response. 

“Can we please land for a moment?” Senn begged. 

“We can’t.” Abbigail said softly. “We’re already running low on time and we’re almost there. Just focus on the environment.” 

“If he pukes on my dragon I’m gonna kill him.” Rhaegoth growled.

“He’s on  _ my  _ dragon.” And once Abbigail said that, Luna’s eyes grew wide. Abbigail took notice of this. “This is exactly why we aren’t going faster or using a teleport. It’s hard for me to handle as it is so imagine what it’d do to him.” 

Senn would have laid back if he hadn’t remembered he was riding on the back of a dragon. He managed to swallow his nausea for a moment. “How much farther?” 

Abbigail smiled. “Not much further. We’ll be there by nightfall.” 

“Nightfall?” Shale asked frantically. “That'll be too late!” 

“What do you mean? You’ve already turned.” Rhaegoth scowled. 

“He’ll be using my boy to scorch cities.” 

“Then let’s just warp already!” Rhaegoth shouted.

“Senn can’t handle it!” Abbigail shouted.

“Yeesh!” Another voice cut in. “You two bicker more than me and my brother.” 

“Ceris, please shut up.” Rhaegoth growled. Ceris held onto his dragon which was lagging behind a little bit. He wasn’t wearing his helmet, so his dark brown skin could be seen shining prettily in the setting sun’s light (he had told them earlier that it made it hard for him to breathe on his dragon). 

“Hey, don’t talk to him like that!” Another voice cut in. This figure, unlike Ceris, was wearing his helmet. 

“Of course you’d defend him, Everett, you’re brothers.”

“Twins, technically.” Ceris corrected.

“Why are we all arguing?” Abbigail interrupted. “We’re supposed to be working together!” 

“Sorry mooom!” Rhaegoth let out a drawn out yowl, rolling his eyes with each word. Everett laughed and Ceris shoved his hand into his face. 

“You two bicker like a married couple.” Ceris said, rubbing his eyes with one hand. A silence fell after that.

“We’re here!” Abbigail suddenly broke the silence. Luna hovered above the outline of a town. The setting sun cast an eerie red light on the landscape. 

The sky was gray and ashy, Senn tried not to breathe it in since he could smell the familiar scent of smoke.

Soon, they were above the main part of the city. Etherea was covered in flames and Igneous was running through the streets. The people only ran as he blasted fire and snarled, his eyes absorbed in a harsh, angry glow. 

Shale gaped his mouth open. He jumped off his dragon and screamed for his son.

“Shale!” Holly yelled.

“What the hell is he thinking!” Rhaegoth yelled. 

“Shouldn’t we go down and help him?” Ceris asked.

“It’s too dangerous to land in the open, Vraleus might see us.” Senn explained.

“We don’t have a choice, it's now or never, I WILL END THE BEAST!” Rhaegoth yelled and he brought his dragon down.

“I’ll find Vraleus.” Holly said, waving her dragon down. 

All of the other dragons followed suit. They landed and they looked around for Igneous. However, he seemed to be nowhere.

“What’s the plan now?” Ceris asked, stammering a little bit.

“We’re going to kill that thing.” Rhaegoth snarled and he charged forwards. Shale grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back.

“Why did you stop me?” Rhaegoth growled, turning around rapidly..

“You will not be killing my son.” Shale replied, his voice stern.

Rhaegoth just laughed “That thing has caused so much damage. It is beyond saving. However, Etherea is not.” he replied.

“Save Etherea? It's already razed. How could you hope to save it?” Shale responded.

“I will do what I must.” Rhaegoth replied.

He turned away, but Shale pulled him back. Rhaegoth, out of instinct, stabbed at Shale. Shale, enraged by this, as one would be, punched Rhaegoth hard in the jaw. He flew back and hit a wall. Rhaegoth spat out some blood and tapped his jaw. It was very obviously broken, but Rhaegoth didn’t know that yet. “Can we have no fighting!” Abbigail shouted. “We need to work together.

“We must put our differences aside for once, and take down Vraleus. We will not kill Igneous for it is not his fault. I know deep in his mind he’s cowering. He’s waiting to come back into control.” Holly said.

The others nodded, agreeing.

“I will go find Vraleus, the rest of you must keep Igneous distracted.” Holly demanded.

Holly wandered south, Abbigail followed her though. “I’ll go with you, you look like you need some help.” she said.

Holly nodded and the two of them crept through the burning city. They heard shrieking in the distance and looked at each other. They both had the same feeling, the same dread, the same fear. They crept a few more meters before Shale charged before them.

“Shale?!” Holly shouted

“My son...He’s destroying everything...”

Holly looked at the ground and shook her head. Now it was a race against time. “I think Vraleus is there.” Holly whispered, pointing at a forest. They followed her.

A Moonlit prowled around. Holly motioned Abbigail out of the thing’s way. It sniffed at the air and glanced around before disappearing. Holly motioned Abbigail out of hiding. . 

“What was that?” Abbigail asked after they were far from the beast.

“That was a Moonlit.” Holly said 

The two of them heard Ceris screaming about Igneous. They couldn’t make out any of his words and Abbigail gasped. “We need to hurry up. I can’t afford losing any of them...” 

In the distance they saw a pale figure. Holly held her arm out in front of Abbigail. The figure seemed to be...fighting the air? Was this guy drunk?

“That’s Vraleus.” Holly realized.

Abbigail turned her head and saw the man. She laughed a little bit..

“So he’s an idiot?” Abbigail replied, now tired.

Holly nodded. They snuck up behind him. Holly waved Abbigail’s arm up and Abbigail raised her sword which was holding her Ender Sword.

Suddenly, Vraleus turned around. His bright green eyes glowed and he smirked devilishly.

“You think you can sneak up on me?!” Vraleus shrieked.

Abbigail tried to stab Vraleus. He blocked her attack with a barrier. Holly tried to prepare an attack in response but Vraleus threw her back.

Abbigail turned to her companion and then was suddenly grabbed and thrown. If not for her obsidian armor, she would have died or been heavily wounded.

Holly tried one more time to summon the strength to attack Vraleus. She fell back and gasped in exhaustion.

“You want Igneous? Take him. He’s about as useless as you are.” And with that, Vraleus disappeared. Holly scrambled to her feet.

“Did that really just happen?” Abbigail asked.

“I guess.” Holly managed. Her eyes grew wide. “We need to find Igneous, come on.”

===

Igneous, when he opened his eyes again, noticed he was surrounded by strange people. He saw...Ender Knights? And…?

“I think he's normal now.” A blue Moonlit said.

Igneous looked into the blue Moonlit’s eyes. He stepped back and whimpered. “Igneous, buddy, it’s me.” The Moonlit said. Igneous whimpered and tried to speak, tried to cry out. No words came out. He cried out again and again.

“You…..hurt…...me… You….hurt...me… You...hurt...me…” Igneous struggled his words out. With each utter of the word, his ability to speak came back slowly. 

“Senn told me about that part of the dream. Don’t you remember me, buddy? I would never hurt you, I promise.” 

Igneous stepped back, closed his eyes and focused. He remembered, that Moonlit was his father, and he had never hurt him, it was only Vraleus’ awful work. He remembered the time his father first held him after he escaped Vraleus’ awful clutches.

Igneous, this time, hugged his father first. His father was taken aback, his eyes now wide in shock. The Moonlit wrapped his arms around his son. 

“There we go.”

“Shale, step away!” Igneous heard someone shriek. “That thing has destroyed this city and it will destroy you two if you let it!” Igneous watched the Ender Knight with the broken jaw and red hair held up a sword to his face. He remembered him from his dream, Rhaegoth. _So he’s not too different from his dream counterpart…_ Igneous thought, rolling his eyes.

“Rhaegoth, dammit! Stop trying to kill my boy!” Shale snapped.

Igneous whimpered, putting his head down. He tried to speak again, but he couldn’t.

“It wasn’t him, it was Vraleus!” Abbigail cut in. This seemed to knock sense into Rhaegoth. Rhaegoth sighed and put away his sword.

“Fine, but he’s on thin ice.”

“Shut up or else you’ll---” Everett giggled in the middle of his sentence-- “Lose your sword priveleges!” Rhaegoth shook his fist at Everett, who only laughed. 

Suddenly, a dragon swooped down and threw him off a cliff. Igneous shrieked. He heard the wooshing and loud sound of a dragon warping towards him. It grabbed him and held him in its claws. It plopped him down on the ground and it laughed. 

“Luna!” Abbigail shouted. Luna snorted. “There are better ways to learn how to catch people. Like, I don’t know, asking for consent?” 

“Is everyone safe?” Igneous asked, every word slow.

“Yeah but Vraleus got away again.” Holly responded.

Igneous then faced Abbigail. “Who...are you?” He managed. “Abbigail.” she replied. Igneous looked at Senn and coughed. “I already know you’re Igneous, give your throat a rest.”

“We can introduce ourselves later. We need to get out of here. Also, before you ask, I’m Ceris.” A man interrupted.

Abbigail gestured them all onto a dragon. Senn glanced over at Igneous.

“I hope Magnorites don’t have a gag reflex…”

  
  



	10. Calm...

A month later, in the underwood, Igneous was screaming.

And it was a very reasonable scream too, as Luna wouldn’t stop nipping at him. He kicked a little at the dragon and then lolled his head back and gave in. Luna continued to nip and slap at him.

“Luuuunnnnaaaa.” Abbigail interrupted. The dragon looked over and snorted, ear fins falling back. “Please, leave him alone.” 

Luna only snorted again and nipped at Igneous’ arm. She then snorted and threw him into the air. Igneous yelped as the dragon caught him with her arms. He kicked his legs in the air in a futile struggle. 

“Ahhh, come on, please!” Igneous begged as Luna tossed him again. “Please stop!” He shouted. Luna let out a soft “hmph.” and then put him down. Igneous stumbled away from the dragon.  _ Of all the times I could turn...Man, that’d be perfect.  _ He thought. He leaned up against a tree and recollected his thoughts.

“So, how about we go to K’arthen?” Igneous asked Abbigail. Abbigail gave him a confused glance. 

“Why? That place is dangerous.” 

“Well, it’s one of the only provinces not under Vraleus’ rule. You have dragons and I think that would be enough.”

“There has to be another reason, Igneous.” Abbigail said. Igneous’ eyes went wide. He rubbed at the back of his head. 

“Well, a little bird told me…”

“YOU MEAN ME?!” Topaz shouted, swooping down seemingly out of nowhere. The two looked at each other and Topaz laughed. “Oh, that was priceless!” The two only glared at Topaz. If looks could kill, Topaz would be dead right then and there.

“I heard Malakai is sending scouts to grab dragon eggs.” Igneous blurted. Abbigail stepped back and Luna started to pay attention. Luna growled softly. She stretched out her wings and hissed. “Yeah, it’s pretty bad out there.” 

“I’ve heard Malakai is thinking of sending his armies to Cydonia for the final stand.” Topaz added, stretching his wings out dramatically. Abbigail paced around for a moment. Luna glanced at the bird and then back at Igneous. “Who’s to say that Igneous isn’t a spy for Malakai?” 

“What?!” Igneous and Abbigail shouted simultaneously. Topaz chuckled.

“You heard me. Igneous could easily be a spy. He could be snuggling up to you, grooming you to hand him an egg.” 

“I won’t hand anyone an egg unless they’re chosen.” Abbigail raised her hands and out popped the Ender Eye. It looked at Igneous but stayed in her palm. “See? Not chosen. It would have floated over if he was worthy of a dragon. So, he’s not getting a dragon.”

Luna chuckled and nipped at one of Igneous’ spikes. Igneous waited for her to stop nipping at him and then he shrugged. 

“Honestly, I’m just glad I got to meet you guys. I’m just hoping we can end this soon enough and then we can talk about things that aren’t related to keeping the world safe.” 

Abbigail smiled. “That, hopefully, is sooner than we think.” 

“What do we do if we can’t convince Malakai to stop?” Igneous asked. He walked a couple paces forward and looked out into the landscape. Abbigail sighed.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that sometimes… You have to kill people to get things done.”

“What?” Igneous said, turning around. He plodded away from the edge of the hill. Abbigail sighed.

“You know Malakai is currently at war with Cydonia right?”

“Of course.” 

“War has casualties, Igneous.” 

“I--I know!” Igneous sputtered. He glanced up at the night sky, the stars twinkling around the almost full moon. He shook his head. “I’m going to be that thing again tomorrow.” 

“Yeah, we know.” 

“It’s unfortunate, isn’t it?” Igneous said, sitting down. “I’m really tired today.” 

“Have you been eating?”

“No, of course not. Only that thing gets hungry, I don’t.” Igneous murmured, grabbing at his sides. He was lying through his teeth, unwilling to admit his weakness.

“You don’t look so good.” Abbigail’s words told them that she knew more than he was letting on. Igneous sighed and flopped back. 

“Fine, yes, I’m hungry.” He groaned. Abbigail gestured for Luna to fly off. She did so hastily. 

“You have to stop doing that.”

“What?”

“Starving yourself!” 

“It’s not like I can get food. I’m too slow to get it.” Igneous slapped at the sides of his head. Abbigail sighed.

“It’s not good for you to do that! Why couldn’t you just ask for help?” 

“I don’t know.” 

Luna then flopped back, holding an entire pig in her jaws. 

“Oh come on, do you have to watch me eat?” Igneous asked as Luna plopped the pig in his lap. Abbigail rolled her eyes. 

“It’s not like I mind seeing you eat. I have a dragon, of course.”

“Well, I’d like some privacy.” 

“Alright then.” Abbigail turned around and started to walk off.

“Wait, can I ask why you’re awake?” Igneous held an arm out.

“It’s the stress from everything. It’s been keeping me awake.” Abbigail sighed. Igneous smirked. Now it was his turn to lecture her.

“You should sleep, it’s not good for you to stay awake.”

Abbigail sighed. “Goodnight, Igneous.” And soon, Igneous was left alone with the pig.

====

“Tonight, we’ll need to land.” Igneous said. Luna snorted and glanced over at him. Igneous sighed. “It’s not like I chose any of this to happen! It’s just--I just happen to have issues…”

“Perhaps we should go to Conchord first? You said the king dies in your dream.” Senn suggested.

“Well, yeah, but this is turning out a lot differently than that dream of mine.” 

“Well, shouldn’t we assess if Conchord is alright? K’arthen is about a month or so off and we’re rather close.” 

“Fine, but as soon as the sun sets I need to make myself scarce.” Igneous said with a sigh. Senn shrugged.

“That’s fine. Hopefully we’ll be there before sunset.” 

“We can make it, but it might be a bit disorienting for you guys.” Abbigail said before looking at her fellow Ender Knights. Rhaegoth scowled and looked at Tenebris’ head. He patted the dragon.

“Are you sure they can handle a warp?” 

“A what?” Senn asked quietly. 

“Oh, I read in a book that dragons will sometimes---” Igneous would have finished his sentence if not for the dragons suddenly being absorbed in a bright light. They charged forwards, glowing in shades of blue and purple. They seemed to pass by the very barrier of time and space itself and then suddenly they were in Conchord. “---do that.” Igneous suddenly sputtered. 

“Oh, I think I’m going to die.” Senn groaned.

“I knew he couldn’t handle it!” Rhaegoth snarled.

“I’m starting to regret healing your jaw.” Holly snapped. She looked over at Igneous and Senn. “Let me handle the king. We have a past.” 

The dragons quickly landed in Oakendale. Senn proceeded to flop off the dragon he was riding.

“Do you want me to help you up?” Igneous asked, holding his hand out. 

“Please don’t. The ground is nice today.” 

Igneous laughed a little. “I don’t want to be rude, but we really need to get moving.” 

“Come on, five more minutes.”

“No.” Igneous chuckled a little, wrapping his arms around Senn. He picked Senn up and managed to bring him to the others.

“I didn’t know Magnorites could do this.” Senn murmured. Igneous giggled a little and continued to carry Senn.

“Do you want me to put you down or are you still dizzy?” 

“Please put me down.”

“Alright.” And Igneous promptly put Senn back on his feet. 

“Let’s not do that again, please.” Senn said and Abbigail sighed. 

“There might be occasions where it’s necessary.”

“Then let’s hope it won’t become necessary again.” Senn sputtered.

===

The heat burned at his face, yet he smiled. The sounds of Blazes rotating their rods, skeletons hissing and rattling, and the occasional Ghast shrieking and wheezing didn’t deter him. He smirked and he glanced at the Netheran citizens who guarded and glanced at their city. They watched him like cats watching bugs crawl.

Wither skeletons suddenly swarmed him. Vraleus smirked and with ease he cut them down. He approached the gate they were guarding and listened closely.

On the other side of the gate he could hear Pythus and Vulcannus sparring. He clicked open the gate as the two clashed their axes and swords together. Chronos was watching his sons fight and then he looked over at Vraleus.

“Good day to you all.” Vraleus said, bowing.

“Vraleus, what do you want? I thought we made it clear we don’t want to get back in affairs with the Overworld. You know how that ended last time…” Chronos growled lowly, his glowing markings burning brighter. Chronos glanced at Pythus who glared, half ashamed and half angry.

Vraleus brought his eyes over to a female Netheran who was sitting on the sidelines. “Glad to see you again, Hestia.” he said. 

“I’m not going to join you.” Hestia said.

“What if it’s not what I came here for.” Vraleus said before smiling again.

“What are you here for then?.” Hestia responded.

Vraleus smirked again and turned back towards the Netharans. “What I came here for last time.” he asked.

“What do you want Vraleus?” Chronos asked.

“I just need the Nether, that's all.” he replied.

Pythus chuckled “This isn’t your world, remember?” 

Vraleus stood still and growled. Vulcannus stiffened and Chronos watched like an owl sizing up its prey.

“We will not fight again. We have made a mistake and will not repeat it.” Chronos finally said, standing taller than Vraleus.

“I have power, and with my power, I can reform the Nether. For I am better than the puny Deathsinger and his puny tricks. He has failed but I have not. Vraleus’ face grew into a great scowl.

“Making their life better by destroying them?” Vulcannus asked, his glowing eyes growing slit-like.

“Did I ask you to talk, meager peasant?!” Vraleus snapped.

Vulcannus shook and charged forward. Vraleus stiffened and then threw Vulcannus back with his power. Pythus came to the defense of his brother but Vraleus stabbed him through the chest with an iron sword. Pythus kicked at Vraleus and managed to pull himself off the blade of the sword. A trail of glowing, red hot blood spewed from his wound, but Pythus managed to run a blade down the half of Vraleus’ face. Vraleus roared in pain and rammed him back. Vulcannus stumbled back, clearly less injured than his brother and struggled over to his father.

Chronos was angered by this incredibly and he pulled out his glowing Nether Blade. Vraleus raised his iron sword, but Chronos knocked him back. Vraleus sputtered in confusion and Chronos spoke.

“Take this as a warning. You can leave now or me and my forces will kill you.”

“I will not.”

Vraleus stood back and charged forward, blade hungry for blood.

====

“Come on, Benedict, listen to me!” Holly shouted. Benedict shook his head and sighed.

“I am listening, I just don’t know what to do.” He said softly.

“We have the Ender Knights. We just need to bring the kingdoms together.”

“Felden is under Vraleus’ rule now. All I can do is send word to Hydraphel.”

“We’re planning on getting K’arthen and Cydonia to stop fighting.” Holly said. Benedict sighed and shook his head.

“Then hurry.”

“We will do our best. Just talk to Hydraphel.”

“What about the Moonlits?” Benedict asked.

“We have two on our side.” 

“Vraleus has an army of them!”

“One of them is an Alpha.” Holly said, waving her arms around. “And he’s contemplating making his son one, from what I’ve heard.”

“T...Two Alphas? That sounds risky.” Benedict stammered. Holly sighed.

“We don’t have much choice.”

“We don’t have the resources to help.” 

“We need all the people we can. Please help us.” 

“I can talk to Hydraphel, but I don’t know if I can help.” Benedict said.

Holly left and sighed. Igneous glanced at the setting sun and back at Holly.

“Is he helping us?” Igneous asked.

“I don’t know. He’s going to talk to Hydraphel.”

Igneous would have responded if not for his body aching. Holly stepped back as Igneous cried out. He felt his body melt again and closed his eyes, since he didn’t want to see the torment his body was going through. Soon his body settled and he sighed.

He opened his eyes and saw Holly glancing at him, her eyes gentle.

“Are you alright?” Holly asked.

“I’m a monster, so of course not...” Igneous whimpered.

“I know. I can...I can feel it.” 

“What?” Igneous asked, confused by Holly’s statement. He took in a big breath of air since each word was exhausting on his throat.

“I’m an empath.” Holly admitted.

“I still don’t understand.”

“I feel people’s feelings sometimes.” Holly sighed. “You’re pretty lonely, why don’t we talk to some people?”

They walked through the town and Igneous noticed some Magnorites. Then he suddenly noticed a Moonlit similar to the one from his dream: Quartz?! He walked over to the Moonlit.

“Hey! Are you Quartz?” he asked.

“No, I’m not.” replied the Moonlit.

Igneous frowned, but not for long, because someone suddenly spoke up.“I’m Quartz! Who needs me?”

Igneous smiled and walked over. Then he stopped and slapped his hand into his face. He’d have to explain the dream to him.

Igneous introduced himself and then explained Quartz’ role in the entirety of his vision.

Quartz stepped back. “What?”

“I swear it’s real!” Igneous exclaimed..

“Then tell me something only I would know.” Quartz said.

“I don’t have anything that you would know…” Igneous sighed. Quartz stepped back. “Do you know what the cat monsters were?”

“Catamounts?” 

“That’s what they’re called?”

“Yeah, they’re Felinas that become cat-things---why?”

“Because...Vraleus recently took Felden.” Igneous said, eyes wide. 

“And that happened in your dream? This Vraleus guy?”

“Yeah….” Igneous looked at the ground. “I’m sorry if I don’t make sense! I don’t understand much either.”

“What’s your plan then?” 

“We’re going to K’arthen.” Igneous said. Quartz glanced over at the dragons in the distance.

“Ender Knights?” Quartz asked. He gasped. “K’arthen?” 

“Yeah. We’re planning on going to K’arthen and knocking some sense into them.”

“I’d love to come.”

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

  
  



	11. The Storm

Blood covered the ground in the Nether. It was still warm, sizzling and foggy. Three Netharans lay limp. Their final glances at the kingdom they once rule were not that of a battle fought valiantly, but a battle lost miserably. 

A brother glanced at his two bleeding relatives. One a brother, one his father. He looked at the man covered in the blood of his kin and he hoped to not waste his breath. 

“Why?”

“Why?” The man repeated his words to him, a malicious taunt.

“Why hurt us? Why do you want the world to be yours?”

The man laughed, but this was a sad laugh now. The Netharan swallowed, fighting the darkness that approached him.

“So nobody can ever hurt me again.” The man spoke like a child. The Netheran lay his head back. 

“But you have hurt many to get here. It isn’t fair to anyone. If you stop now, then maybe you can be saved.”

“I DON’T WANT TO BE SAVED.” The man yelled, unfurling wings that lay at his side. “I will die historically or I will live in a world that is mine. Either way, I win.” 

The Netharan closed his eyes and awaited the release from his suffering.

“Hestia.” The man said, approaching another Netheran. Hestia held the Nether Blade in her arms, cradling it like it would break if it were dropped. The man placed his hand in front of Hestia and she placed the sword in his hands.

The Netheran watched helplessly….

...As the sword began to glow.

====

Igneous stumbled off the dragon and glanced over at the familiar dunes of Cydonia. He sighed.

“Why can’t we just fly into K’arthen?” Igneous asked as Abbigail dismounted her dragon. 

“We need to get information on what’s happening in K’arthen first. From what Topaz has been talking about, K’arthen hates Moonlits.”

“What do they do to Moonlits?” Igneous asked. Abbigail sighed.

“Didn’t Topaz tell you about the Lunar Lances?”

“Lunar Lances?” Igneous asked.

“They’re spear-like weapons with a diamond blade that are used to hunt Moonlits. The blade looks kind of like a crescent moon.” 

Igneous’ eyes widened. “They’re using those so they don’t get infected…”

“Yeah.” Abbigail said with a sigh. “That’s why we’re here instead of there--to protect you and Shale.” 

“Well, where should we go to get information?” Igneous asked. 

“I heard there’s a Fletcher named Aren. Maybe we should see if he can get us in.” Abbigail suggested. 

“Where is he?” Igneous asked. Abbigail pointed over to a shop of sorts. The three of them walked over to the shop and Igneous knocked on the door. A man with long black hair glanced at them at the other side of the door.

“What do you want?” He asked, nervously. Igneous looked back at his companions and then spoke.

“We need a way into K’arthen.” 

“And why should I help you?” The man asked.

Abbigail suddenly brought herself into Aren’s view. The Fletcher’s eyes widened and he stepped back.

“You brought the Ender Queen?” He sputtered. Aren shut the door and then opened it a few moments later. “I’m guessing you want to reunite Cydonia and K’arthen?”

“Yeah.” Igneous said. Aren glanced behind him.

“I know of a rebel named Borgen, he’s a gray Magnorite. Blue eyes. Can’t miss him. Meet up with him in the Diamond District and he’ll be able to give you more information.” 

Aren started to lead them to the border, but Shale stopped them. 

“I don’t trust any of this!” He shouted. Igneous shrank back and shrugged.

“We need to go to K’arthen, it’s our only option.” he retorted after a couple moments.

Shale glanced over at Aren. “Why are they at war with each other?” 

“Something about raising prices or something. I don’t know! I’m no messenger bird.” Aren retorted. “Be hasty, things are tough now.”

“See?” Igneous said. “We need to go there!”

“Fine.” And with that, Aren continued to lead them to the border. They arrived rather quickly.

“I’m not responsible for anyone getting hurt, now.” Aren said. 

“What?” Shale asked.

“Did I stutter? Anyways, you should get in there pretty quickly, people are looking at us.”

Igneous, Shale and Abbigail found themselves in K’arthen rather easily. 

A guard glanced at the odd trio and started to mutter to one of his companions. Igneous hoped silently that the guard was just confused and not alarmed. 

“So, where exactly is the Diamond District?” Igneous asked.

“Somewhere in Tartarus. I don’t really remember since I haven’t been here in ages.” Shale responded. Abbigail smirked. 

“I have an idea. Luna!” 

A bunch of Magnorites gasped as Luna suddenly swooped down. Igneous took quick action and clambered on the dragon’s back. Luna chuckled and glanced at him. Abbigail and Shale followed Igneous and climbed onto the dragon. Luna took off quickly and soon they arrived in Tartarus.

“There’s the District!” Abbigail said, pointing at the street. Luna landed and Igneous stepped off the dragon.

_ Gray with blue eyes...Gray with blue eyes.  _ He reminded himself as he entered a nearby tavern. He almost fell back in shock as he saw the exact Magnorite he was looking for. 

“Hey!” he shouted at the Magnorite. The Magnorite, who he had to assume was Borgen, sat back. 

“What--what do you want?” He was taken aback for a moment but regained his composure rather quickly.

“You’re Borgen right?”

“No!” The Magnorite shouted quite angrily. Igneous sighed and turned around.

“Oh well.”

“Wait, you aren’t a part of the authority?” 

“No, why?”

The Magnorite gestured for Igneous to come near. Igneous complied and the Magnorite whispered something.

“I’m Borgen, yes. Why and how do you know this?”

“Aren told me to find you.” 

“Who?” Borgen sounded genuinely confused.

“A Cydonian Fletcher.” Igneous answered. Abbigail came over and Shale followed, lagging behind a little.

“I take that that’s Borgen?” She said.

“Is that the Ender Queen?” Borgen sputtered.

“Yes.” Igneous answered sharply. 

“You brought the Ender Queen...here?”

“Of course.” Igneous said with a smile. Borgen sighed. 

“We can discuss more at Maxwell’s house. It’s not a good idea to talk out here.”

====

Borgen knocked on the door of the house rather slowly in Igneous’ eyes. He glanced up at the sky with a sense of anxiety. Soon, night would fall and his very existence would be criminal. Borgen, after one more knock, finally took notice.

“You’re a Moonlit?” He asked really quietly. Igneous nodded and pointed at Shale. Shale nodded as well and Maxwell then opened the door.

“Borgen? What--who?” 

“Can you let these guys stay here tonight? Also, we need to discuss some things.” Borgen said rather rapidly. Maxwell muttered something to Borgen and opened the door fully. “Stay out here, you two.” Borgen said before walking into Maxwell’s house.

Igneous looked at Abbigail. She was now hopping onto Luna’s back.

“Wait! Where are you going?” He shouted. Abbigail brought Luna closer and finally answered.

“I’m getting the others.” And with that, she hopped back onto Luna’s back and quickly disappeared. The door opened again and Borgen gestured the two inside.

“Stay away from the windows. They’ll see you and report us for smuggling you and it won’t end well for any of us.” Maxwell said. 

“Why does the leader hate Moonlits?” 

“The leader, Malakai, well, first thing’s first, is a total ass.” Borgen said bluntly. “He believes you and people like you are ‘impure’ and dangerous.”

“We aren’t, though! I mean--we can be dangerous but that’s beside the point!”

“Yeah, it is pretty ironic coming from Malakai, leader of the--” Borgen started to use heavy air quotes, “‘most dangerous species.’” 

Igneous sighed. “Where should I hide?” He asked. Borgen pointed to a large room in the back of Maxwell’s house. 

“No windows. Also, don’t make any loud noises. I don’t want anyone getting suspicious.” He said. Igneous lead Shale into the room. 

Maxwell walked over to the door. “I have some business to attend to. Stay safe.” 

“We will.” Borgen responded. Maxwell left quickly and the three were left alone. 

Igneous sighed as he waited for nightfall. He looked over at Shale and swallowed. “I’m scared.” He admitted quietly. Shale huddled closer to his son, but Igneous stepped back.

“No! I melt.” 

“What?” 

“When I become--well, you know. I melt. Don’t you melt, too?” 

“No, of course not.” Shale responded. Igneous shuddered, surprised he wasn’t feeling the blazing heat just yet. Shale looked at the ground and quickly morphed into a Moonlit. “I can teach you how to turn at will after tonight.” Shale offered. Igneous shivered.

“I didn’t choose to be like this.”

“Neither did I.” Shale said. “I got turned protecting you. But honestly? It was worth it, buddy.” 

Igneous started to dry heave. He wanted to respond to Shale’s statement, but he couldn’t manage a single word. Pain ran through his body and he gritted his teeth in pure agony. Igneous resisted the urge to shriek, somehow.

He glanced at his hands and noticed his fingers had sharpened. They hadn’t melted like before? He felt his body shift and change and he closed his eyes. The occasional soft whimper escaped his lips but soon the pain subsided and he could stand.

“You didn’t melt.” Shale said with a chuckle. Igneous sighed.

“I melted a couple times.” He said. “I don’t know what changed this time.” 

Their peace was short lived. Igneous suddenly heard shrieking outside. 

“Rebels!”

“Kill them!” 

“Wait, wait!” Senn shouted. Igneous felt his heart sink.

“I need to help them.” He shouted. Shale screamed for Igneous to stop but Igneous didn’t listen. He ran out into the main part of Maxwell’s house and Borgen rushed forward.

“Get back! We can’t risk you--” 

Igneous ran a claw down Borgen’s front and then threw him back. Igneous ran out of Maxwell’s house and towards his friends. 

“You’re free to go!” A Magnorite said to Senn, who was cowering in fear. Igneous noticed this and stopped running. Suddenly, a group of Magnorites swarmed him, holding long, spear-like weapons with diamond tips.

“Should we show him what a lance does?” One of the Magnorites asked. Another Magnorite spoke up and broke through the crowd.

“Let’s show him what we do to Moonlits here.” The Magnorite said. One of the Magnorites chuckled.

“Alright, Malakai.” 

Igneous felt something hit his head and he was greeted with blackness. 

  
  



	12. Rampage

The first thing he noticed when his eyes opened again was the sheer amount of people in cells. Humans and Magnorites, mostly. Igneous stood up and walked to the front of his cell. For a moment, he had forgotten why he was stuck here, but then it came back to him. 

He looked at the cell beside him, saw another Magnorite, and decided now was the perfect time to start talking.

“Hey, uh, why are you here?” He asked. The Magnorite stood up and tapped their foot impatiently. Igneous came a little closer and noticed their features were familiar.

“All I did was say Malakai was a bit ridiculous.” That voice...Those features…

That was  _ Flint _ ! He stepped back, surprised that she wasn’t dead.

“You’re Flint!” He sputtered.

“Uh, yeah. How do you know that?”

“Long story! Anyway, I’m in here because I’m a Moonlit.” Igneous admitted. Flint looked back at the wall behind her cell.

“Weird. It’s crazy that Moonlits have only existed for fourteen years, yet there’s so many of you guys.” She looked back at Igneous. “They’re probably going to execute you.”

Igneous stepped back. His eyes widened. “What?!” He shouted. Flint only nodded in response. “How long do I have left to live?” He asked quietly. Flint shrugged. 

Over the course of a couple days, the two of them talked. Igneous found out that Flint was a blacksmith who occasionally talked to Borgen and had recently started to adopt his beliefs. Igneous told her about the dream and the parts that involved her. Flint laughed at the absurdity of it all. 

“They’re going to release me today.” Flint admitted. Igneous sighed. 

“I failed my friends. I’ve failed everyone.” He muttered, burying his face into the bars of his cell. “I’m going to die!” He yelled. “I don’t want to die!” He slammed his fist into one of the bars and he pulled it back a moment later. “That hurt!” 

Flint inched closer to Igneous. “I have an idea. Tell me where I can find your friends and I’ll bring news to them. We’ll get you out of here.”

“Really?” Igneous sniffled.

“Yeah.”

“Talk to the Ender Queen. She’ll bring you to the others.”

“You have the Ender Queen on your side?” Flint asked, eyes widening and her lips parting into a great smile. “Then you haven’t failed at all! You’ll be out of here faster than you think!” 

A couple moments later, a guard and their human companion entered.

“Flint?” 

“Right here.” She shouted enthusiastically. The guard opened the cell.

“Take this as a warning. Malakai won’t be as merciful next time.”

Flint looked back at Igneous and sighed. “I know.”

=====

“I don’t know how we’re going to get Igneous back!” Borgen shouted as Shale brought up the idea again. 

“Bu..but he’s my son!” He cried. 

“He’s not the only one we’ve lost. If we’re going to free people from the prison, we’re going to free more than just him. Also, we have other issues to tend to, like, I don’t know, K’arthen being covered in crystals!” Borgen yelled, pointing at the crystals now crawling up the side of one of the tunnels. “Cydonia isn’t alone any more. They’ve got those weird crystal monster things!”

“What are those things called anyway?” Shale asked.

“We don’t know. They’ve been attacking us and Malakai.”

“What do you mean, ‘us’?” Abbigail asked.

“They’ve attacked not only Malakai, but also us. I don’t know why exactly.” Maxwell explained.

“How are we going to get Igneous out of jail?!” Shale screamed.

“I don’t know.” Borgen said.

“You can’t just leave him there. They’ll do all kinds of things to him!” Shale said.

“Shale, I can’t help you. I’ve told you multiple times I can't.”

“We have a dragon that can be used.” Shale said.

“A dragon? It can’t fit in the prison!” Borgen said.

Flint suddenly barged in. Everyone looked at her and then she spoke.

“Where's the Ender Queen?” she asked.

“Right here. Who are you?” Abbigail asked.

“I’m Flint. Igneous told me to find you. I think we can free him from prison.” she replied.

“And why should we trust you?” Borgen asked.

“Because Igneous is going to be executed if we don’t help him.” she said.

“What if Malakai is out there...waiting for us to come out there and fall into his trap.” Maxwell said.

“Well then I see your point, ender queen she called you first why don’t you go out and make sure nobody is nearby hoping we die.” Borgen insisted.

Abbigail and Flint glared at Borgen. They had the same though:  _ What a jerk!  _ Flint walked outside and looked around. 

“Coast is clear!” She shouted.

“This better not be some sort of trap.” Borgen growled. 

“What is with you lately?” Maxwell asked. “I get she’s suspicious, but you’re kind of acting like a jerk.” 

Borgen glared at Maxwell. “Maybe it’s the fact that Igneous got himself into this situation and now we have to get him out?” He glared at Flint. “So what’s your master plan?” 

“Well, we’ll need a distraction.” She said, looking at Abbigail. Abbigail stepped back and sighed.

“You’re going to want Luna for that.” 

“And then the rest of us can sneak in and free the prisoners!” Flint shouted. 

“What if something goes wrong?” Maxwell asked. Flint sighed and then raised one finger in triumph.

“We can always use the dragons.”

“What?!” Borgen shouted.

“Igneous told me, in his words, that dragons are capable of---” Flint would have finished her sentence if not for rapid movement interrupting her.

“I thought we were alone!” Maxwell shouted. Suddenly, a ton of the crystal beings from earlier surrounded them. 

“Stand down, Magnorites!” One holding an iron trident shouted. “Or else!” 

“What do you want?!”

“We see you’re planning on attacking us!”

“Uh...no. We’re not with Malakai.” Flint said. “We’re actually very against Malakai so--”

“Do you think they’re telling the truth?” One of the other crystal beings asked. The figure with the trident sighed, adjusting her crown.

“We’ll see what the Guardians say.”

===

The crystal people lead them to the Guardians, which happened to be in the Tartarus river. One after one the Elder Guardian came up and looked into the eyes of each person. The crystal people seemed happy with the result. However, Borgen seemed to be growing more and more nervous.

“Borgen...I don’t want to be rude, but are you okay? Are you well? You’ve been acting weird…” Maxwell had finally caught on to Borgen’s odd behavior. 

“I feel like absolute garbage.” He admitted. “Everything hurts and Igneous is an idiot.”

Maxwell sighed. “Malakai tricked him. It’s not his fault that Malakai happened to trick him.”

“Hey, Amethyst, do we have to bring that guy to the Guardians?” A crystal creature asked the figure with the crown. The figure with the crown sighed.

“Yes. We have to make sure he’s just as innocent as the rest.” And with that answer, the crystal person approached Borgen. He pushed the being away and they shouted, almost falling into the river.

“Just come to the Guardians. If you have nothing to hide, just come with us.” the being said, standing back up.

“Don’t fight them Borgen. They’re not trying to hurt you, they want the same things we do.” Maxwell said. Borgen knew Maxwell was right deep within, that the crystal beings, or Georites. They had admitted their name after Abbigail was brought into the water.

“Thanks for the support.” Borgen still replied sarcastically.

Borgen sighed and walked by the water’s edge. He closed his eyes as the Guardian glanced at him. His thoughts grew fuzzy. The Guardian eventually relinquished its control and disappeared.

The sun was setting and the moon was rising. Shale glanced at the moon and quickly shifted back into his Moonlit form. Borgen was confused by this and he glanced at the moon. It was...somehow full? Borgen would have just been slightly confused if not for his back suddenly aching something awful.

He fell onto the ground and let out a soft noise in response to the aching and crying of his body.

“Oh no.” Shale uttered, glancing at the moon.

“What’s happening?” Amethyst asked, turning over to Shale.

Borgen shrieked. He hung his head low as his body morphed into the form of a Moonlit. The others just glanced at each other and back at Borgen.

“Are you okay, Borgen?” Maxwell asked quietly. Borgen didn’t look over at Maxwell, he only heaved a couple times and kept his eyes on the ground. 

One of the Georites approached Borgen. They poked him on the back with their crystal claws. Borgen, in response, lunged at the Georite and proceeded to devour them.“Savage beast!” One Georite shouted. They pulled out a spear and tried to fight against Borgen, but he attacked the Georite instead. Borgen ran off and then Shale rushed towards the poor Georite.

“Are you ok?” Shale asked.

“What the hell is that thing?” they asked.

“He turned into a Moonlit.” Shale admitted. The Georite laid their head back and died moments later.

“Borgen is heading straight to Tartarus, we need to get there first!” Maxwell yelled.

Abbigail called for Luna. Luna landed beside them. 

“Do you have anyone else with you?” Amethyst asked.

“Senn and the rest of the Ender Knights are at Maxwell’s house. Make sure they’re safe while we keep Borgen from wreaking havoc.” Abbigail directed. Amethyst nodded.

“I wish you safe travels. Is there anything else I can do?”

“Maybe you can help Igneous out of prison, but make sure the rest are okay first.”

Amethyst brought the rest of Georites together and left quickly. 

“Get on!” Abbigail shouted. The others clambered onto Luna, and with that, they were off.

  
  



	13. Perfect Killing Machine

He curled up on the ground in his cell. It was surprising, somehow the moon was full and now he had turned again, his limbs aching and burning. He hated the fact he was hungry, but he hated more that they refused to feed him.

But what did he expect from someone who put him on death row?

The wardens had laughed and bullied him for being who he is, but a sudden crash startled him, the wardens panicked all of a sudden and Igneous knew what this must have meant. Luna was inside Tartarus.

_ Am I finally being freed?  _ Igneous thought to himself, though he did not allow himself to indulge in the possibility. A loud roar sounded from somewhere, past where he could see, and he recalled hearing it… After another moment’s pondering, he realised that he  _ had _ heard the voice before, and that the monster it must have come from was most likely tearing Tartarus apart.

“Borgen... You're a Moonlit?” he whispered, knowing that the other Magnorite would not hear him.

A loud series of  _ thunks _ sounded from nearby, as Shale charged to Igneous’ cell. Angrily panting, his blue veined tail swishing as he wrenched at the bars, twisting and snapping them as he broke his adopted son out. 

“Shale... What’s happening?” Igneous asked, confused by the sudden influx of action.

“Borgen’s causing us a distraction for us to leave K’arthen, this whole trip was useless.” Shale hissed, forcing the words through clenched teeth.

“Willingly?” Igneous asked.

“No, not at all.” he laughed, tensely.

Igneous sighed and ran past the blue Moonlit, charging through the battle, knocking all the soldiers out of his way. As they neared the exit, the soldiers stopped them then a tall, fierce Magnorite held them off.

“You tried to run when real Magnorites fought,” he taunted the Moonlits. Igneous felt something stir inside him, but he repressed it a little. He could feel a snarl beginning to curl on his top lip, but he relaxed his face as best he could.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Me? I’m Malakai, the one in charge around here,” the tall Magnorite responded, a sneer on his face. The sheer smugness of the other made Igneous want to run up and claw the idiot to death.

“There’s no way you’re the leader here.” He growled. Malakai’s sneer widened.

“Then who put you in prison?” Malakai asked with a slight laugh at the end. Igneous felt a growl rise in his throat, but he pressed it down, resisting the urge to strike.

“Why? Why kill the Moonlits? Why the war with Cydonia? Why?” He asked. 

“Why should I answer you?” Malakai snarled. 

“Why not?” Igneous retorted, a growl overlaid his voice. “You’re probably going to kill me, so what’s the risk? I have nothing to lose.”

The rage - for that was what it was - which was welling up within him was already beginning to spill over into his actions. His claws twitched, causing a small but noticeable click against the stones underneath. He swung his tail behind him, just barely missing Luna’s legs. Abbigail was sitting in a nook on her dragon’s shoulders, her Enderblade drawn, but Malakai did not shirk from the sight.

“Your kind have caused my people nothing but problems. You kill and kill my people, making my war hard to fight. It’s not easy keeping the people convinced Cydonia raised their prices. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if I told you this? You’re dead either way, so here: Cydonia’s valuable. We need their resources, and telling the people the prices were raised gets them riled up. By the time they find out, I’ll be dead and gone, and Cydonia will be ours. What does it matter now?”

Igneous snarled, shook his head and lunged, knocking Malakai off his feet right after he finished speaking. Malakai hissed and rammed his fist into Igneous’ eye. He yowled and struggled off of Malakai. Igneous hung his head and whimpered. 

“It appears your kind suffers from that same thing our kind does: pain is our worst enemy.” Malakai chuckled heartily. “Come on guys, lance ‘em!” He shouted. Igneous could barely glance at a crowd of Magnorites surrounding him through his blurry vision. 

A roar erupted and the Magnorites fell back. They shouted and raised their lances into the air. Luna landed in the center and roared again. Another roar erupted in the distance, but this wasn’t a dragon’s roar, it was a Moonlit’s.

“You guys deal with the dragon, I’ll deal with this monster!” Malakai yelled.

“What about the Moonlit terrorizing our kingdom?” 

“How about you deal with it, wise guy?” Malakai shouted, turning back around and facing the Magnorite who raised the question. Igneous, in a fit of rage and pain, grabbed Malakai’s leg. He pulled Malakai onto the ground. Malakai kicked and squirmed, but Igneous wouldn’t relinquish his grip. Igneous took this opportunity to bite Malakai’s leg. His enemy shrieked and shouted and quickly pulled out a lance. 

And he brought it down on his leg with immediate haste.

“That should be--gh!--enough to prevent me becoming like you!” Malakai shouted, scrambling to one foot. Malakai doubled over in pain and Igneous snarled, approaching Malakai slowly.

He savored this moment. Malakai’s rule had caused him nothing but pain and suffering and soon it would be over. 

Igneous felt his throat burn. Malakai struggled to keep his footing and was now leaning against a rock. He gripped his lance in one hand. Igneous glanced over at Luna and noticed she was having great luck, easily cutting through the Magnorites with her long, black claws. 

He faced Malakai again, sneered and then laughed. He slammed his right claw into Malakai’s chest, pinning him down to the ground, snarling into the other Magnorite’s face. The corners of his vision blurred, then he snarled, exposing his fangs.

“You….you think you can stop me? If I die…” Malakai coughed and tried to suck in more air. “Even if I die...these people will take up my mantle. They will do what I failed to do…”

“Your actions die with you, Malakai.”

Then Igneous bit down on Malakai’s throat, eliciting a scream from the Magnorite. He did not stop, but rather bit down harder, filling his mouth with hot lava. After the thrashing below him ceased, he loosened his grip, kicking the body below him away.

He stepped away from Malakai’s body and noticed Luna and Abbigail had stopped fighting. 

“How are we going to stop Borgen from hurting people?” Igneous asked after a couple moments of silence. Abbigail brought Luna close and whispered something. Luna flew off and Igneous tilted his head. “You...uh. You didn’t answer my question.”

“She can restrain him until daybreak. He’ll be normal by then, right?”

“Yeah.”

Luna returned after a couple moments, holding Borgen in her claws. She held the squirming Moonlit tightly. He snapped at her a couple times but soon, after a couple moments, he closed his eyes.

“Is he alright?” Abbigail asked.

Igneous would have answered if he didn’t meet the same fate suddenly.

===

Igneous opened his eyes. Luna was no longer holding Borgen, he noticed first. She was watching the Magnorite lay on the ground limply, almost like a corpse.

“As soon as he wakes up, we’re going to take you to the Guardians.” Abbigail said. Igneous, barely awake, sputtered out a soft question.

“What?” 

“You might not know this, but Cydonia isn’t alone in the conflict. I can explain more when we get there.”

“Are you going to drown me?” Igneous yelped, eyebrows raising.

“No, of course not.” Abbigail said. Igneous relaxed a little, becoming less stiff. Borgen decided this was the perfect time to wake up and started to open his eyes, blinking rapidly.

“Huh?” He managed. “What happened? Where am I?”

“Uh….you turned into a Moonlit.” Igneous said. Borgen sat up and rubbed his head, wincing.

“It’s because of you, isn’t it? That scratch did that to me, didn’t it?” Borgen, while he wasn’t fully awake, sounded very accusatory towards Igneous. He only sighed in response to Borgen’s anger. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Why can’t I remember anything that happened?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you were hurting people.” 

“I was—-what?!”

“Hurting people.” Igneous replied.

“What! No, no. That’s not what I did. It couldn’t have been me…” Borgen was begging and pleading. Igneous thought he was about to fall onto the ground, crawl up to him and cry.

“I’m sorry Borgen, but I’m telling the truth. You hurt people.” Igneous said.

“Then it’s your fault, Igneous!” Borgen snarled.

“Borgen, please. I can teach you how to control this. Also, it wasn’t your fault--”.

“How is it not my fault if I hurt people?!!” Borgen shouted.

“I’m very sorry Borgen.” Igneous said again.

“Sorry won’t fix what I’ve done, Igneous..” Borgen growled.

“We have proof it wasn’t your fault…” Igneous tried to say.

“You can’t talk your way out of every problem in life.” Borgen interrupted.

Borgen stormed off. Igneous sighed, knowing Borgen was right. Malakai was living proof that the Moonlits were hated and that it was a long road to showing they were more than monsters...if it was even possible to prove.

“What are we going to do about Borgen?” Shale asked.

“I don’t know.” Igneous admitted. Shale sighed. 

“Come on, you’re needed by the Guardians.”

====

“It’s good that you’re compliant. This should be quick and easy.” Amethyst said. “Anyways, I heard you were born outside of K’arthen? What’s that all about?” 

Igneous sighed and glanced at the hoard of georites leading him towards the water. He felt his anxiety spike a little but he swallowed it and finally answered. “I don’t know who my real parents were but I know Shale found me in the northern parts of Ardonia far away from the kingdoms.”

“Do you remember anything before you were found?”

Igneous refused to answer. Amethyst sighed and they continued to walk towards their destination. Soon enough, they had arrived at the lake. 

“Where’s the Guardian?” Igneous asked. Amethyst jumped into the water. She dove under and quickly resurfaced with the Elder Guardian behind her.

“Right here.” She said before clambering onto the surface. Igneous glanced at the Guardian for a moment and then suddenly the ground gave out from under him. 

The first thing he saw was him and Shale. Shale looked sad and he remembered a sense of confusion. He glanced at where Shale was looking. On the ground lay a dark colored Magnorite. He stepped in front of them and saw their entire front was covered in lava.

“Have you seen death before?” Shale asked before the vision faded.

The rest after that came in bits and pieces. He was running somewhere, screaming at people to find his father...to find Shale. Then he was with Shale again and he was being told a story. The words didn’t stick in his head for long. 

“You’re Igneous. My special boy.” Shale said. “You know what inspired that name, kiddo? This guy.” Shale pointed at a page in the book, where a sketch was, blurred by his dream.

Then he was a little older and he was with Senn. He caught glimpses of the odd dream he had, the long vision. He remembered curling under a tree, eyes in a book.

Suddenly, it changed, becoming clearer. He was in K’arthen, but it seemed to have happened before his other memories. The memory was incredibly clear, terrifyingly so.

He stepped forward, footsteps heavy. A Magnorite held a sword in front of his face and he heard them pray for a couple moments. Suddenly, they yelped, their voice ringing in his mind’s ears.

“Get away from me, you freak! K’ar save me! K’ar save me!” The Magnorite’s voice was laced with fear.

Igneous felt a sense, a twinge of regret for what he was about to do. He felt almost as if his hand was forced in this moment.

“Go on, Ragnarok, finish him off.” Vraleus’ voice came from behind him. Igneous twitched, but he found no reason to scream what his true name was. Instead he looked back at Vraleus and cried out in protest. Only an animalistic gurgle came out. “I SAID KILL HIM!” Vraleus yelled. 

Igneous felt his arms wrap around the Magnorite. The Magnorite shrieked out loud as their very flesh melted off their body. Igneous felt disgusted, but also used to it at the same time. He felt the lava from the Magnorite meld into him and he sighed softly, feeling rejuvenated. 

Vraleus brought Igneous inside a base of his a couple moments later. Igneous felt as if he was plodding and slithering at the same time. This body...it wasn’t his...but at the same time... it was…?

Vraleus held a mirror out, pointing at it with a long finger.

“Look at yourself. You’re my perfect killing machine. Don’t let it go to waste.” 

Igneous looked into the mirror and saw he had no solid form. Only lava in the shape of a face with glowing white eyes and a long, dragon-like body. 

Igneous pulled himself free from the control of the Guardian. He screamed and ran from its clutches. 

“Woah, wait! Wait!” He heard someone yell.

“This hasn’t happened before!”

Igneous didn’t care. He just needed to run. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Saphirezekat contributed to and edited this chapter.


	14. Enderknight

Outside, on the outskirts of Tartarus, Igneous ran. He didn’t have a destination, just a desperate need to escape. So he ran and ran, rather slowly in comparison to the normal speed of a human, but it was the fastest he could go. His breath coursed through his throat, never breaking, and his eyes smarted from the air that rushed around him. 

His feet slammed against the ground, letting out loud clicks as he ran farther and farther. He did not know how long he ran, his muscles did not ache like the ones of flesh. Watching only the ground ahead of him, he did not quite know how long he was running for. Finally growing exhausted and collapsing, Igneous slumped into the dirt, the spikes on his shoulders digging into the ground as he fell onto his back.

As he caught his breath, he finally started to think clearly, staring up at the rising sun. He had been running from what? His past? Vraleus? Who, what, where? And most importantly: why? 

It was futile, he couldn’t escape the truth.

So why did he see Ragnarok in his reflection? He had to assume that it was Ragnarok, whoever that was. His breaths came out heavily, not only from the stress of his situation, but also from his exhaustion. He continued staring up at the rising sun. 

In the distance he heard something, someone else running, the methodical thump of boots against dirt. He slowly rose to his feet. His gait slow, he decided to follow the noise. Hopefully it would help him clear his mind.

The noise became clearer as he grew closer. Rapid footsteps and heavy breathing filled his ears. He approached slowly, hoping he’d have some amount of stealth. 

“Get back!” The voice cut through his thoughts like a knife through water. He stepped back in shock, hiding behind a bush, A hooded figure raced in front of the foliage he was hiding behind, peering through the gaps between the leaves. Igneous was going to turn around and hopefully sneak off if not for him noticing something hung on the figure’s back. He peered out from the side of the bush and caught a better view of the object.

_ It’s an Ender Dragon egg! _ He realized with shock. 

He stepped out of the foliage and started to give chase. He stomped after them and they glanced back at him. Suddenly, they changed their direction, charging towards him. Igneous froze, surprised by the sudden change from the figure, and while he was stunned, they managed to punch him in the chest. He didn’t feel much, and the figure shrunk away from Igneous, attempting to scramble away, clutching at their burnt knuckles. As soon as Igneous recovered, the two of them resumed their chase.

Igneous had an advantage, since he wasn’t injured. He quickly caught up to the figure. They clutched at their hand and glanced at him. Quickly, they drew a diamond dagger from a hidden sheath, hidden somewhere in their cloak. Igneous barely noticed the shiny weapon gleaming before it stabbed into his abdomen. He screeched in pain and drew back. 

He glanced at the egg on the thief’s back, noticing that the violet veins were glowing brightly. As quickly as he could, he ducked under a swing of the dagger, grabbing it off their back and held it in his hands, twisting around so his back was facing the thief. They rushed forward, trying to reclaim their precious item.

Igneous turned around again quickly and right as he did…

The egg burst into a thousand purple sparks, shards of black eggshell whistling through the air, the force of the explosion throwing him back. Dirt flew into the air as he skidded against the ground and the back of his retinas was filled with red and yellow dots. 

When his vision cleared and he felt like he could stand without falling, he stood up and glanced back at where the thief once was. He noticed they were limp, so he approached curiously. On closer inspection, he noticed the thief was rather burned, skin blackened and flaking, very obviously dead. Turning his eyes to where the egg was, he noticed burn marks and a small dark creature sitting in the middle of the crumbling star of grass where the egg once was.

He approached the creature slowly. Its purple eyes met his orange ones and it unfurled tiny wings. The translucent black membranes between the bony structures that stretched and supported the thin skin. He held out his hand and the dragon approached slowly. It sniffed at his hand for a couple moments before it placed a claw in his hand, looking up at the Magnorite. 

He cupped it with his other hand, hearing the dragon let out a squeak. He couldn’t help but laugh a little bit as he held up the small creature.

“Aww.” He cooed as it crawled up his arm and perched on his left shoulder, struggling to grip onto his rocky skin with its tiny claws. It poked him in the face with its snout. Then, it crawled across his back and towards his other shoulder. He tried to grab at it but soon found it on his other shoulder. He sighed slightly before laughing again. “I need to figure out a name for you… Or maybe I should focus on finding who you belong to first…” 

===

He walked back into Tartarus. Sighing, he was going to head back to Maxwell’s house when Luna swooped behind him. She knocked him down with her thick tail and the dragon on his shoulder squeaked. It managed to glide in the air for a couple seconds before landing on its stomach. Luna approached Igneous curiously and inspected the small dragon, sniffing the air around it.

The dragon squeaked and hopped onto Luna’s nose. Igneous let out a heavy sigh. Abbigail approached them, confused by the noise. She noticed the dragon and Luna playing together.

“Where’d you get that dragon…?” She asked, walking up to the dragon slowly before grabbing it and holding it. 

“A thief had an egg, I grabbed it, it exploded and now I have a dragon. Well, I doubt it’s mine but…” Igneous waved his arms around as he spoke.

“No, no, that dragon is  _ yours _ .” Abbigail said solemnly. Igneous stood up and the dragon jumped back onto his shoulder.

“Uh. No. It hatched but it’s not mine.” 

“There’s a reason why it hatched right when you touched it.” Abbigail said. “It hatched because it’s  _ your  _ dragon, Igneous.” 

“Uh...No. It was stolen so it must belong to someone else.” Igneous responded as the dragon nibbled on his spiky shoulder. Abbigail reached into her inventory and pulled out an Ender Eye. It glared at him. She grabbed it and sighed.

“You’re an Enderknight.” She said, looking back up at him. Igneous sighed.

“No I’m not.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not cut out for it.”

“That’s what I thought at first. But look, I’m now the Ender Queen. You’ve been chosen. There’s no changing that.” 

Igneous sighed. “Then I guess I should give the little guy a name.” He looked back at the dragon and then at Abbigail. “How will I tell the others?”

“I’ll handle that.” Abbigail said before leaving Igneous with his dragon. His dragon bit at one of his horns. Igneous picked the dragon up, gazing at its opaque scales.

“You have scales as dark as obsidian.” He commented. His eyes widened. “Obsidian! That’s what I’ll call you!”

===

Igneous headed back to the others with Obsidian on his shoulder. Senn looked over at him and spoke up.

“So apparently you’re an Enderknight.” 

Igneous picked up Obsidian and held him in front of himself. He sighed. “Yep.” He put the dragon back on his shoulder. 

Quartz suddenly piped up. “I think you’ll be a great Enderknight.” 

“Aw, thanks.” Igneous said. “So, what do we do next?”

“I don’t know about you being an Enderknight but we have Cydonia and the Georites to deal with. The Georites want to declare peace but they need us to sign a treaty.” Shale brought up. 

“Who’s going to sign this treaty?” Igneous asked.

“We were thinking of letting Borgen do it…” Shale grumbled, forming a low undertone in his voice. He smirked. “But he’s busy being dramatic so I think you should do it.”

Igneous stepped back. “What? Me?”

“Yeah. I think you’re competent enough.”

“But what will happen after this?”

“K’arthen and Cydonia are going to keep their armies ready. The Georites have agreed to help us keep Ardonia safe from Vraleus.” Shale explained. “But, you have to sign that treaty first.”

“Alright then.” Igneous said, accepting the duty.

“Come on then.” Shale said, leading Igneous into one of Tartarus’ many tunnels. Igneous followed closely and soon found himself sitting in front of a group of Georites and Cydonian officials. He watched them glance at a piece of paper and hand it to him.

Igneous read the paper closely. The treaty was short, only agreeing to end the war. Igneous smiled and looked at Shale.

“This is easy. Where’s a quill?”

“Right here.” Shale said, handing Igneous an ink dipped quill. Obsidian suddenly leapt from Igneous’ shoulder and squeaked as he glanced at the paper. Igneous quickly signed the paper and brushed Obsidian away.

“No. Don’t mess with the ink.” Igneous said with a slight chuckle. Obsidian whimpered and then the Cydonian officials gasped.

“You’re an Enderknight?”

“I guess.” Igneous said, handing them the paper. The officials whispered amongst each other.

“That’s a first! A Magnorite Enderknight!”

“Yeah. It’s kind of weird, isn’t it?”

After a couple moments, things calmed down. The officials held the paper and chattered amongst each other. They nodded and quickly left.

“So that’s it. It’s over now?” Igneous asked, looking over at Shale. Shale shrugged. He led Igneous out of the tunnel. 

They walked outside into the cooler air and Igneous suddenly grew suspicious. He inhaled sharply and stopped Shale. Shale looked at him and let out a soft “hmm?”

“Where are we going?” Igneous asked. Shale sighed, looked around and waved Igneous forward.

“I wanted to propose something.” Shale said solemnly. Igneous stepped forward.

“What is it?” He asked quietly. Shale sighed and pulled out a small diamond blade. Igneous stepped back. “What’s that for?”

“I’m not going to use it if you don’t want me to, but I wanted to propose…” Shale swallowed heavily. “I wanted to make up for leaving you behind all of those years ago. I was trying to protect you--”

“It’s okay. Just tell me what you want.” 

Shale sighed. “I don’t know why this is so difficult! You said you were an Alpha in that dream of yours so I’m proposing this: if anything happens to me you can be one. It wouldn’t hurt to have two of us and I doubt you’d have anyone willing to give it to you.”

“Alright. What are the risks?”

“It’s not going to be exactly...pleasant for you the first time. It’ll hurt a bit when the process takes hold but...I was asking because---”

“Because of the blade?” Igneous asked, pointing at the object in Shale’s hand. Shale nodded.

“Usually those who aren’t born Alphas, I assume, bite and--gosh this is weird.”

“Wait, you’re going to cut...cut yourself with that blade?” 

“Yeah. It won’t kill me because I just need to draw lava.” 

“Uhh and what do I do with that lava?”

“You drink it? What? Do you think I’m gonna spill it on the ground and poof you’re an Alpha?”

“That’s weird.”

“I know. Do you want to do it or not?” 

Igneous shrugged. “How much will it hurt me? Is there a chance it’ll kill me?”

“If it would have any chance to kill you I wouldn’t have even suggested it.” Shale said. Igneous sighed.

“Fine, I guess.” After Igneous spoke, Shale immediately raked the blade across his arm and winced in pain. Shale scooped some of his lava in his hand and held it out to Igneous. He hesitated for a moment and then lapped up at the lava. Igneous was confused for a moment.

Suddenly, pain spread through his body. He yowled and fell onto the ground. He looked up at Shale, who knelt down and patted him on the back. 

“You might faint--” Shale said right as Igneous felt himself fade.

===

Igneous blinked as his eyes cracked open, squinting at the bright light, his body sore and aching. Obsidian stood in front of his face and glanced at him, confused by Igneous’ new appearance. Igneous sighed, stood up, and noticed he was back in Maxwell’s house.

He walked over towards a mirror and glanced at his reflection. The first thing he noticed that he was larger. He held up one of his arms and noticed long spikes adorning his elbows. 

He stared for what might have been just seconds, but they felt like hours, until he heard someone behind him. Igneous looked behind himself and noticed Shale had arrived. 

“How long was I out?” Igneous asked, bleary eyed.

“A week.” Shale admitted. 

“So I guess I’m turning into an Alpha now.” Igneous said with a sigh.

“Yeah.” Shale said. “We should go to Conchord.”

“Why?” Igneous asked. Shale sighed. 

“Because our work here is done.”

Igneous looked back and sighed. “Let’s go, then.” 

===

After a couple days they arrived in Conchord. Igneous hopped off of Luna’s back and Shale trailed behind at a relaxed pace.

“I heard we have a new Enderknight?” Ceris asked, walking up to Igneous and Shale. Obsidian decided this was the perfect time to poke his head out from behind Igneous’ shoulder. Ceris stepped back. “You’re the Enderknight?!” 

“Apparently.” Igneous said with a shrug. Ceris sighed.

“Are you sure this guy is cut out for this?” Ceris asked pointedly. Abbigail looked back at Igneous and then at Ceris with a sharp glint in her eyes.

“That’s not for me to decide. Anyway, what happened while we were gone?” Abbigail asked.

“Well, Holly and I were able to convince Benedict to help us. He’s set up a small army.” Ceris said.

Abbigail trudged off. Igneous walked over towards where the people were gathered. Some of them were brandishing weapons, some were hugging each other and crying as if they had seen death itself and some were sitting there in shock. 

Igneous frowned. Dread creeped through him. He sighed and grabbed one of his books. He decided he needed some kind of reprieve. Maybe he could relax for a little bit until they decided to head out again. 

But little did he know...something lurked in the shadows.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited by Saphirezekat!


	15. Into The Unknown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thanks to Saph for edits!

Igneous heard rustling in the bushes. He put his book down, stood up and walked towards the noise. The rustling grew louder and he stalked closer and closer. 

Suddenly, a small bundle rushed forward and hit him in the stomach. Igneous fell back. He groaned and heard the small figure squeak.

“Obsidian?” He asked quietly. The small figure wasn’t Obsidian however, it was a small Magnorite child with spiky elbows. Igneous felt his eyes widen: it was Scoria! From his dream! The child laughed, stepped off of his stomach and smirked. She was much larger than her dream counterpart, however. “Nevermind. Not Obsidian. You’re Scoria, right?”

“How do you know my name?!” the child yelped. Igneous shoved his palm into his face, drew the child close and explained his dream, which had now become repetitive, his voice blurring and melding into itself in his own ears. Scoria listened with wide eyes and sat back against a tree, though she did not completely relax.

“Woah. You got killed but you didn’t die?” 

_ Why, of all questions, did you ask me that?  _ Igneous wondered. He sighed and then smiled, going along with what the child said. “Yep.” He noted.

“Woah!” Scoria shouted. 

“Do you want to meet the Ender Queen?” Igneous asked. 

Scoria smiled. She jumped up, shaking off the last of her uncertainty and yelled. “Yes!” She shouted. Igneous chuckled and led Scoria into Oakendale. As soon as he headed into Oakendale, Obsidian jumped forwards onto his face, almost making him lose balance and fall over. 

Obsidian had grown to the size of a foal in the couple days it had taken to get to Conchord. Igneous sighed, knelt down, held out his arms, and let the growing dragon crawl onto him. His back shrieked with protest when he stood back up. He let out a heavy breath.

“We can’t keep doing this with how fast you’re growing.” He managed to say as he carried the dragon towards Abbigail and the others. 

“Will he even fit on a dragon?” Scoria asked.

Igneous rolled his eyes. Abbigail laughed, as Scoria’s priorities were strange.

“Well,” Abbigail said, leaning forward, “That’s something we’re going to have to see.” She chuckled a little.

Igneous sighed and put his dragon down. Obsidian snorted, plodding after Igneous in an attempt to get him to pick him up. Igneous turned back around and showed Obsidian he wouldn’t pick him up again. He headed over to a tree, sat down and Obsidian did the same. Igneous let out a soft sigh as the dragon plopped his head into his lap. 

He stroked the Obsidian’s scaly head for a couple moments until Abbigail approached him.

“We’re going to get you some armor.” she said. 

Igneous chuckled. “I don’t need armor.” 

Abbigail sighed. “I mean Ender Armor.” 

“Are you sure about that?” Igneous retorted. 

Abbigail sighed. “Yeah. Now come on, we need to head to the End.”

Igneous stood up and Obsidian quickly rose to his feet. “Are we bringing the others?” 

“No, it’s just going to be us.” Abbigail responded, bringing Luna close to Igneous and his dragon. Igneous glanced at Obsidian.

“Can Obsidian fit through the portal?”

“Yes, but I wouldn’t recommend bringing him through the portal.” Abbigail said, very solemnly. 

“Why?”

“Because Luna can guard him in the Overworld.” 

Igneous walked a couple paces forward and almost jumped onto Luna’s back. Abbigail stopped him.

“We need to prepare first!” 

Igneous quickly headed off, presumably to grab his belongings. Abbigail also disappeared, grabbing enough food to last a long while, or at least she presumed it would. She walked back towards Luna, but suddenly Ceris stopped her.

“You’re heading off to the End with him?!” Ceris shouted. “What about us? Who will take charge of the Enderknights while you’re gone?” 

Abbigail sighed. “You.” Ceris’ eyes widened.

“Me? I--I’ve known I’m pretty competent but I’m not the kind of person to lead the--”

“Well, I promote you to temporary leader. Make sure the others stay out of trouble.” She said. Ceris let out a soft huff and nodded. 

“I will do my best.”

“Igneous, are you ready?” 

Igneous held a ton of books in his arm. Obsidian squeaked and snapped up one of the books in his mouth. Igneous laughed and then fell forwards, dropping his books. Obsidian squeaked, barely dodging Igneous’ falling form. Igneous sighed, scooped up his books and they quickly vanished into his inventory. He looked over at Abbigail.

“What?” He asked. Abbigail sighed.

“Do you have everything you want to bring?” 

“I guess.”

“What about food?” Ceris asked. 

“I brought enough to last a couple months. If worse comes to worse we can go hunting.” Abbigail said, gesturing towards Igneous. Ceris shrugged and looked back at the others. 

“We can’t just stay in one place.” Ceris said, folding his arms behind his back.

“I know. What you do next, however, is your decision, Ceris.” 

Ceris’ eyes widened, his posture slumped, and he stepped back. He drew in a quick breath of air. “Ah, I forgot about that.” 

Igneous, while the two were conversing, decided he would attempt to climb onto Luna’s back. Luna snorted, relaxing her wings as Igneous managed to climb on. He gasped in amazement as Luna’s back didn’t immediately break in two. 

“Woah!” He shouted. Abbigail and Ceris looked over at Igneous, who was now patting Luna’s back out of sheer excitement. Obsidian seized this opportunity, clambering onto Igneous’ shoulder. 

Abbigail looked at Ceris one last time and walked over to Luna. She waved goodbye and hopped onto Luna’s back.

===

“Do you want to try flying a dragon?” Abbigail proposed as they flew close to the water. Igneous looked down at the water, feeling his voice catch in his throat. He looked back at Abbigail and shook his head.

“How come?” she asked.

“I just don’t feel like doing that currently.” he said.

“Come on Igneous, all Enderknights start somewhere,” she insisted.

Abbigail jumped off Luna as she started flying off the ground. Igneous was initially uncomfortable, a hard lump of fear in his stomach, but Luna didn’t fly too high up in the air. He took a deep breath and hoped that Luna wouldn't try something reckless, but he must have jinxed it, as she started flying upside down. Igneous reacted quickly and grabbed onto her back.

“Luna come on!” he shouted, uncomfortable from the change of gravity.

Luna flipped over and Igneous was calm again as he and Luna soared through the sky. Eventually he became uncomfortable enough in the air to ask Luna if he could land. Abbigail was waiting for them at the site they were once at.

“How was it?” she asked Igneous.

“It’s terrible I don’t know how you do it,” Igneous said.

“Well normally Luna doesn’t try to pull off what she did when you were riding her, I’m very sorry you had to experience that.” she replied.

Igneous sighed and walked over to the others to discuss their plans.

“Wait Igneous! We need to get you some armor and a sword,” Abbigail exclaimed.

“I don’t want to ride alone on Luna again, Abbi.” Igneous replied.

“Oh no don’t worry! I’ll make sure Luna behaves this time.” Abbigail said sternly.

Igneous huffed, then turned away from the other Endeknights, jogging over to the large dragon. Luna pushed Abbigail playfully, nuzzling her shoulder, but Abbigail wasn’t amused at the gesture. She hopped on the dragon and Igneous followed, his claws catching onto the larger scales on the dragon’s leg, settling down behind Abbigail in between two large back spikes. Obsidian snuck his way up, clambering over Luna’s tail and snuggled into Igneous’ lap. Luna then took off, jumping up and filling her wings with air. As she continued flapping, she caught a thermal, rising high into the atmosphere, teetering on the column of air. Igneous felt his stomach flip for the second time that day. He snapped his eyes shut and he clutched tighter onto the thick grey spike in front of him.

He didn’t know how long he was sitting there, blind, for, but eventually the bobbing of the dragon beneath him grew less intense, and he finally cracked open an eye. He didn’t look down, but rather stared up at the somehow bluer sky. The air around them was colder and drier, and he felt himself panting for oxygen. Luna and Abbigail did not seem to be affected by the change, so he looked down a little further. Now his eyes were level with Abbigail’s head, and he found himself staring into a patch of dark purple. Feeling awkward, he turned his head to the left, carefully aiming his horns so they didn’t bump the human.

Looking down slightly, Igneous scanned the landscape far below them. The white quartz buildings of Crown Peak were far behind them, and they were soaring above swathes of forest. He gazed at the land, his fear then melting away as the beauty of the land revealed its true self. The midday sun illuminated the foliage with a radiance he’d never seen before; the plants seemed to emit their own light, glowing like the markings of an Ardoni. His breath caught in his throat as he watched the land whizz by, the sun slowly lowering in the sky as it passed its highest point.

“Where exactly  _ is _ the End portal?” Igneous asked, finally finding his voice.

“Further North. It should be about another day’s travel now.”

“Another  _ day _ ?”

Abbigail sighed, “You know you can read while you’re on here, Luna won’t let you fall. We can land to rest once night falls.”

Igneous nodded, then dug through his inventory, pulling out his favourite book, which also happened to be the one which was in the worst condition. The cover was tattered and the pages were worn, but he still tried to take as good care of it as he could. It was a complete history of Ardonia, almost like a condensed version of the Walls of Time. Taking a deep breath of the thin air, he looked down, flipping through the pages until he reached the part where he’d last left off. Time always  _ flies _ when you’re reading a book.

===

Abbigail’s initial calculations were correct, and they arrived, a day later, at the End portal. Once the passengers dismounted, Luna drew Obsidian close with her wing. The smaller dragon, now almost the size of a horse, complained with a displeased squeal. Igneous sighed, turning around. His dragon approached him, looking at him with sad, crystalline eyes. Igneous felt his heart sink a little. Taking in a quick breath of air, he broke the news to Obsidian.

“You’re going to be staying with Luna.” He said very slowly. Obsidian’s six ear fins pressed down against the sides of his head and he whimpered. Igneous shook his head and glanced back at the inky void of the End Portal. That portal made him nervous, endless blackness with tiny, star-like specks. 

Looking closer, he found himself almost entranced by those specks. Inside that void was an endless wonder, something that drew him in, like a beast with many grasping tendrils. He kept looking closer and closer, until he almost lost his balance. He threw his weight back, falling away from the portal and onto the floor of the Stronghold. 

He heard Abbigail sigh and approach. She held out her hand and drew it back before flashing an awkward smile. Igneous sighed, knowing exactly what she had just realized. 

“If you think the portal is so pretty, then you should see the End.” She said. Obsidian whimpered loudly at those words, jealous that Igneous could go where he couldn’t. Igneous rose to his feet. Looking at Obsidian’s slumped position made him feel guilty. He sighed and walked over to his dragon.

“We won’t be gone long.” He said. Obsidian let out a soft huff and looked back at Luna. The two dragons looked at each other before Luna nodded, pointing one of her claws towards the portal. Igneous looked back, expecting Abbigail to have grown tired of waiting, but she was still there, looking at him patiently. 

_ No wonder she’s queen.  _ He thought as he walked towards her. She inched closer to the portal.

“Do you want to go in first?” She asked. Igneous pondered this for a couple moments.

“Is there anything I should know before I head in?” He asked. Abbigail shrugged, then shook her head. Igneous sighed, touching the portal with his foot. As soon as his body left the stone of the Stronghold, it phased through the black portal, and for a moment, it felt like he’d fallen down a deep hole as a sense of weightlessness took hold of him.

After what felt like hours, but was more like seconds, he met solid ground once again. His vision swam for a moment before it cleared. Blinking his eyes open, he glanced up at the sky. It was almost like the night sky in the Overworld, inky, black and dotted with small specks. _ Are those stars? _ He wondered for a moment.

Glancing at the Endstone, he felt his entire body fill with shock. It was the same feeling of being hit, minus the pain. The force was strong, bringing him to his knees. His eyes burned with something, brimming with some kind of liquid. 

His chest was tight with fear, his knees wobbly with excitement, and his eyes were heavy with... _ tears _ ? 

_ But...I can’t cry? How am I crying? _

Out came short breaths, even they were hard to breathe with how tight his chest was. A coldness swept through his back as the tears kept flowing. He wanted something he couldn’t have, but what was it? Why was it so hard to remember? Why was any of this happening? Why choose him?

_ Why can’t I just go back to traveling?  _

A sob, a choked one escaped him. This wasn’t something he’d ever done before, but it felt like something he needed to do.

So he slumped over, on his hands and knees, crying loudly. 

A hand fell on his shoulder as he cried. He couldn’t tell if he had just noticed it or if it were always there. The want to ask rose within his chest but his tears and sobs choked out any chance of asking. 

Deep down, he knew it didn’t matter.

It took him a while to stop crying and it took even longer for him to stop dry sobbing. His eyes ached and his chest still stayed tight, but he felt lighter, somehow. He swallowed heavily and stood up. Turning around, he found Abbigail was looking at him, frowning gently, the kind of frown one makes when they see their friends go through great trauma and am unable to help. She sighed, not a sigh of judgement, but a sigh that signified that she tried her best to calm him. He feared that if he thought about it, he’d cry again. 

After a couple moments of uncomfortable silence, Abbigail spoke. Her voice was soft and quiet, almost as if she was fighting tears herself. 

“Are you ready to get some armor?” 

Igneous relaxed a little. His worry seeped back down, dripping through him and eventually leaving him dry of all thoughts. At that moment, he felt like a husk. Empty, lacking substance and emotion. 

“Yeah.” But those words that came from his lips felt fake. Abbigail led him through the End. He looked at the Endermen, their piercing purple eyes locking with his as he did so, but they did not attack the duo as they traversed the land.

They walked for what seemed to be infinity. At least to Igneous it did. Abbigail walked slowly, making sure he wouldn’t lag behind. Igneous would have been absorbed by the beauty, the wonder of every moment, but he wasn’t. He only glanced at what needed to be seen for him to go forward.

Eventually, they found themselves in a room that felt like the Overworld. It had a couple scattered chests and a couple pairs of armor. Igneous glanced at them. He noticed he stood taller than most of the pairs of armor.“I knew it wasn’t meant to be.” Igneous’ voice came out slightly relieved. Abbigail glanced at the ground and then back at him..

“There has to be something here for you…”  
He searched around, even scrounging through the chests. When he was about to give up, he spotted a suit of armor on a stand that seemed like it could fit him. Nervously, he approached it, taking it off of its stand. 

_ Am I really going to do this?  _ He wondered. He felt anxiety pang and claw at him. It was hard to tell if he feared the newfound responsibility or the fact it might not be for him. As he tried to fit into it, he felt the dread of it not fitting creep deeper inside.

To his surprise, it fit. He pulled the helmet over his horns and it somehow...worked. It fit almost perfectly and it kind of freaked him out. He took a step forward, the weight of the armor making him feel off balance for a second. This feeling dissipated after a couple moments, when the armor activated, glowing many brilliant shades of purple. 

Excitement rushed through him suddenly. He charged outside and towards the edge. He glanced at the vast expanse of the End, losing himself in the dark expanse for some time.

“Pretty cool, right?” Abbigail drew him out from his thoughts. Igneous looked back at her and felt his words catch in his throat. 

“Yeah.” He managed. Abbigail smirked, handing him a sword. 

“How’s this for a sword?” She asked. He eyed the blade, it was a greatsword, larger and heavier than Abbigail’s Ender Blade. Tracing his fingers on it, he couldn’t manage an answer. 

“How am I supposed to know?” He asked. 

“Swing it around.” Abbigail said, stepping a long ways back. Igneous let out a small chuckle.

“Am I really that inexperienced?”

Abbigail nodded, fighting back a snicker. Igneous sighed, before swinging the sword around. He fell over, luckily he wasn’t close to the edge. Getting back up to his feet, he swiped the sword around, quickly learning how to use and balance its weight. 

“So, I’m guessing you like that sword?” Abbigail asked as he placed the sword down. He nodded. “Well, I can teach you more about it, but we should get out of here first.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” he said, glancing back at the void, sword now on his back.

  



	16. A Battle Won.

Retracing their steps, Abbigail and Igneous trotted together across the landscape of the End, following the subtle impressions of the path they’d followed on the way there. The portal soon came into view, the sparkling void swirling with stars, bound in place by the portal’s frame, the glowing Eyes circling it and funneling their energies into the sustenance of the rift.

The two exited the Dimension, the portal spinning and twisting around them. Igneous felt a weird pulsing sensation around his head as the portal spat the pair out of the other dimension, the Magnorite tripping onto the ground, falling onto the Stronghold’s floor with a slight clatter of armour. Obsidian and Luna were still waiting for them eagerly. Igneous patted his dragon on the head, who sniffed at him and curled his head behind his shoulder. 

Igneous followed Abbigail closely as she led him and Obsidian out of the Stronghold, navigating the tall, cold halls and twisting paths. The two of them passed by a library Igneous could’ve  _ sworn _ wasn’t there when they’d first come. When he asked Abbigail however, she simply replied that they were taking a quicker path. He admired her sense of direction, for she was doing all this from her seat on Luna’s back. 

After what seemed like hours in those musty halls, Igneous could feel a stream of cold, fresh air passing through the halls, and was soon greeted with a bright outpour of orange sunlight. As soon as they saw the setting sun, Igneous climbed onto Luna’s back. Luna took off. 

Looking down, Igneous suddenly felt panic begin to rise up in his throat as he shouted, “Wait! Where’s Obsidian?!” 

Before Abbigail could answer, Igneous heard the rapid, and strained, flapping of wings. Turning around, he gasped as he saw something he hadn’t expected to happen yet.

Obsidian was flying after them, beating his wings frantically as he tried to climb up the cold currents in the air. He smiled at Igneous before straightening his wings out and gliding beside the larger dragon. 

When night fell, Igneous noticed Obsidian was beginning to grow tired. Abbigail whispered something to Luna, and the four of them drifted down to the ground, fluttering toward a small clearing they’d spotted from above. When everyone had dismounted, they set up camp underneath a large, leafy oak.

Igneous glanced up at the waxing moon from between the canopy of the forest, and sighed. He glanced over at Obsidian, who was fast asleep, his scaly chest rising and falling as his breath puffed out of his nose in small, lavender clouds. 

He wasn’t the greatest fan of waiting for daybreak, but he would have to.

====

At dawn, Igneous woke up his dragon. Obsidian snorted softly and flapped his tail at him. Igneous went over to their bags, removing a slice of cooked pork and holding the cold meat in front of Obsidian’s nose. The young Enderdragon let out a happy half-growl-half-squeak as it tore into the flesh of what he assumed was once a hog. Suddenly, Abbigail’s voice cut through their silence.

“Ceris?!”

Igneous rushed over to the source of the noise, Obsidian scampering along behind him.

“Conchord...Attacked.” Ceris panted. His face was gaunt, taut, burned skin stretched over his cheekbones, eyes hollow and wild.

“Who attacked Conchord?” Igneous asked.

“They did.” Ceris choked out before keeling over. His own armour clattered against itself as he landed on the grass with a soft  _ thump _ .

“We need to help Conchord!” Abbigail declared.

Igneous was still staring at Ceris, memories of his dream resurfacing, “But what will we do? We can’t leave him out here.”

“His dragon can carry him.” 

Igneous shook himself off, and carried the other Enderknight onto his dragon, who was pawing at the ground, growls emanating from the other dragon. The Ceris’ dragon wrapped his Rider up in its front claws and started to walk off, a slight jerkiness in its gait. 

The Magnorite turned his face away from Ceris once his dragon took off, several bright strips along its scales lighting up, and a warping of the air around him signified his leave. He turned away and stumbled onto Luna’s back, the dragon purring ever so slightly. A shift of the balance beneath him signified their leave once again, and he gripped one of the dragon’s back spikes. Luna suddenly glowed vibrantly, slightly different hues of blue and purple to Ceris’ dragon, but glowing nonetheless. Igneous flinched, fearing the warp that he knew would be coming soon. Obsidian took off too, following suit, glowing just as vibrantly - if not more so.

“Do you think he can warp like this?” Igneous asked, squinting a little. 

“He’s got to learn somehow!” Abbigail shouted as everything grew bright again. Igneous shut his eyes completely now. So much tearing through spacetime was wearing down on him, and he almost felt like his limbs were tearing apart as something almost resembling wind ran through the gaps between his horns, skidding off his face and armour. Once the lurching motions stopped, he felt himself being flung back somewhat, and his head spun. Reluctantly opening his eyes, for he knew he had a duty to fulfil, he gasped in horror. On the other side of the brightness, Conchord was absorbed in flames. Skeletons and Netherans marched the streets while the civilians panicked and ran, often falling into traps set by the orange armoured humanoids. 

“The Nether is attacking Conchord.” Abbigail reported in shock.

“Why is the Nether attacking Conchord? ”

“I don’t know...Unless Vraleus took the Nether.” Abbigail suggested.

“What?! That’s impossible!” Igneous replied.

Abbigail shrugged and jumped off Luna, landing with a low thunk. Igneous sighed and followed, his own landing significantly more forceful. A few wither skeletons noticed their arrival, and decided to attack, charging forward with no more than a light rustle of bones. Abbigail seemed to have expected this attack, and as gracefully as a cat, swung her Enderblade around, cleanly lopping off the skulls of the ashen monsters. Their bodies collapsed into a pile of crumbling bones.

Igneous pulled his sword up and then managed to slice through a skeleton. The greatsword’s weight was still unfamiliar to him, but it cut through the bones as if it were moving of its own accord. As it fell to the ground with a sad sounding rattle, Igneous felt his stomach drop as more skeletons rushed forward. Obsidian snarled, several of his scales glowing purple.

He tried to breathe out a flame but only a couple measly sparks escaped his maw. Obsidian screeched, throwing his head back. Brandishing his claws in a rage, he knocked down a couple skeletons with his growing form. Skeleton after skeleton fell and soon Obsidian was in the center of what Igneous guessed was almost three dozen fleshless corpses. 

A triumphant roar came from the Enderdragon as Igneous approached him, patting him on the head. He would have congratulated Obsidian if not for another horde of skeletons and Netherans approaching. 

Igneous tore himself away from his dragon, brandishing his new weapon with a newfound confidence he never knew he’d had before. He quickly sized up his opponents and noted that the undead were following two Netherans. Facing one of the leaders now, he spotted a fissure in the metal that plated their body, and he jammed his greatsword into the flaw. A raspy gasp escaped the orange-clad warrior as they fell, their lights dimming. A spurt of orange blood erupted from the wound as Igneous pulled his sword out of the corpse, spraying his arm, striping both it and his sword with a strange, beautiful gore.

He quickly whipped around to decapitate several undead before turning back to a second Netheran, who was foolish enough to attempt to sneak up behind him. He saw a blur of bright orange from the corner of his vision as he threw up his sword, blocking the Netherblade and running his own sword along its length, reaching the other’s hilt and twisting violently, disarming the Netheran. He whipped the sword around again and quickly dispatched the other. Without anyone to command them, the undead were suddenly disoriented, and they began throwing hands at each other. Taking a split second to catch his breath, he lifted his sword again, decapitating the skeletons and wither skeletons alike.

Abbigail had just managed to cut down all the undead which were surrounding Luna, who was ripping apart even more monsters than Obsidian, on account of her larger size. Igneous noticed and managed to run after them, right as he saw his own dragon leap up and hover some distance above them. Both the Magnorite and Abbigail pulled themselves onto their spots on Luna’s back, and just as the two of them were secure, Luna flapped rapidly, rising above the air with powerful strokes of her massive wings. Rising above the bloody land, she caught a thermal in the air several more feet above, then continued rising. Luna spread out her wings to their full span, and glided down in the direction towards Oakendale. Igneous took the time to catch his breath, and he felt his grip on Luna’s back spike loosen before he caught himself.

Abbigail directed Luna toward a slight rise at the edge of Oakendale, and the two of them leaped down together. The two of them leaped through the streets, gravel crunching loudly beneath them, growing wetter and squelchier the closer to the center of the madness they got. The central square of Oakendale was a bloodied mess, glowing orange tousled with deep scarlet, leaking in thick rivers through the paths. Igneous looked down, then immediately regretted the decision as he felt a thick cloud, of such an abhorrent smell he would have thrown up if he could, blasted his face. He winced, then looked back up at the soldiers of both Oakendale and the Nether toiled against each other.

“I think we’re winning...” Igneous puffed, his chest heaving.

“We are.” Abbigail replied, smiling a little bit.

“Should we go and help?” Igneous asked.

“Why wouldn’t we?” she responded. Abbigail leaped back up on Luna, who’d managed to run after them, the Enderqueen guiding her dragon above the Nether forces. Igneous and Obsidian followed as Luna and Abbigail set fire to the Nether’s forces. Igneous managed to stab and cut through the crowd of Netherans. At the frontlines he saw Everett commanding Oakendale’s forces. Rhaegoth and Tenebris were cutting through the Netherans, as if their swords were hot knives and the Netherans were butter. Everett’s dragon was sheltering a group of injured people with his wings, casting a massive black shadow over them and blocking them from their enemies’ prying eyes.

“Everett?! Why is the Nether here?” Igneous asked, running towards Everett.

“We don’t know!” Everett shouted.

“Who’s leading them?”

“We don’t know.”

The loud flapping of wings filled the air. Igneous turned around, his face as slackening as he realized those wing beats weren’t from Obsidian or Luna, or any of the other Enderdragons. 

Before him was...Vraleus. Igneous gasped. 

_ He has wings?!  _

“You’re late to the party, I see.” he said with a laugh. It was a deep, booming sound, but a high and scratchy overtone accompanied it.

“We’re reaming through your pathetic armies like an anteater to an anthill!” Everett shouted.

“Oh, I know. However, winning a battle doesn’t mean you will win this war.” 

“Come down and fight, you coward!” Everett shouted. Vraleus grabbed Igneous by his arms, gripping the armoured Magnorite and glared into his eyes like a snake sizing up his prey. Everett shouted again and Vraleus snapped his fingers, a wither skeleton charging at Everett when he did so.

“If only you knew what I know.” Vraleus hissed, under his breath, to Igneous, his green eyes glowing with malice.

Igneous stepped back and Vraleus tightened his grip. His wings unfurled, making the Magnorite feel insignificant. Vraleus hissed lowly, his sharp teeth baring like those in a hungry tiger’s maw. “You might think you’re Igneous, but you have always been Ragnarok. My perfect killing machine.”

Igneous gasped, remembering those words from the Guardian’s reading of his mind. He leaped back, ripping himself from Vraleus’ grasp. 

“You’re lying!”

“Why would I lie to you, Ragnarok?” 

Igneous stepped back, his body growing cold. With his eyes burning with the same tears they’d filled with at the End, his chest filling with rage, he grabbed his sword off of his back.

“Come back to me, Ragnarok.” 

Igneous held his sword up and slammed it down. Vraleus managed to jump out of the way. The Magnorite roared, slashing his greatsword at Vraleus again. His enemy dodged again and again and soon he found he hadn’t landed a single hit, the human staring at him with a sneer painting his  _ stupid little face _ .

Vraleus stepped back, glancing at his army. He sighed.

“It would be wise of you to reconsider joining me.” he said. Igneous felt himself tremble with a rage that drove him to jump at the sorcerer, but he knew better; he’d just exhaust himself. 

Ripping himself away with all his self control, he ran back into the fray, not looking at the enemies he stabbed and killed. Netheran after Netheran fell beneath his flashing purple sword, and soon,, he found himself stabbing at thin air once again. As he shook his head, clearing his vision, he saw that the remaining Nether forces were retreating, and he suddenly felt something warm and sticky slipping through the gaps in his armour. Looking down, he saw bright orange blood coating his arms. It was not his. 

Igneous sat down in shock, feeling his heart sink. How had that happened so fast? 

The army cheered, but Igneous wasn’t as happy as the others, a deep sense of dread wrapped around him.  _ Is Vraleus telling the truth? _ He wondered, shivering at the thought. Making his way through the crowd, he tried to clear his mind of the thought. It couldn’t be true, it had to all be lies.

But if those were lies...Then what did the Guardians show him…?

He shook his head, ripping the thoughts off of their bearings. Letting them take root would be detrimental. 

“Was there any damage done to Conchord?” He asked as he approached one of the guards. The guard let out a soft puff and he adjusted slightly. His armor let out a soft clink as he moved closer to Igneous. 

“Nothing that can’t be repaired within a couple days.” He said with a hearty chuckle. There was a slightly strained undertone to it, but still Igneous relaxed a little. He was too tired to care.

====

A day later, Conchord had managed to start repairs. Igneous watched, smiling slightly. It had only just hit him that they had won. They had won against Vraleus! Sure, it might have been just one battle but things were looking up! 

His steps were bordering close to skips. It was almost impossible for him to stop smiling. Soon enough, they would be able to bring Vraleus to his knees once and for all. 

“Igneous!” Suddenly, he was ripped from his thoughts. He stopped very violently, digging his feet into the ground. Blinking from the force and shock, he turned around and spotted Abbigail observing him. “This is quite a victory, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah.” Igneous said, smiling so wide it had started to hurt. Abbigail fought back a small laugh. 

“Well, I think it would be a good idea if you learned how to use that sword of yours properly.” Abbigail said, gesturing to Obsidian, who Igneous had just noticed trodding up to him. Obsidian had Igneous’ sword tied on his back. 

Igneous looked back at Abbigail. “What about learning how to fly him?” He said, pointing at the dragon who was slowly growing to Luna’s size. 

“He’s not big enough. But, I can show you how to take a sword off a dragon quickly.” She suggested. 

“How?” 

“Like this!” She shouted, before charging forwards at him. Igneous immediately pulled the sword off of Obsidian’s back. He held the sword out awkwardly. Abbigail continued to charge and he flopped onto his back out of fear that he’d somehow harm her with his body weight. “Well, that’s one way to use your weight.” She commented. Igneous sighed as Obsidian nudged him upwards with his snout. 

He charged forwards and the two of them locked swords. Igneous tried to knock Abbigail off balance with his weight but it wasn’t working. She sighed and stepped back. As soon as she did, Igneous fell flat on his face. 

“Use your weight!” She shouted as Igneous managed to step back onto his feet. 

“How am I supposed to?!” He hissed. Abbigail shrugged.

“I’m not a Magnorite so I wouldn’t know.” 

Igneous felt his eyes widen. He stepped back, pondering his next words carefully.

“I know someone who is.” He said. Abbigail sheathed her sword. 

“Well then. I guess you should go to them for advice.” 

“Yeah.” He said, smiling.

====

“Quartz?” Igneous asked, approaching slowly. The bright, albino Magnorite turned around and almost jumped back in shock.

“Sorry! I’m not used to seeing you with your helmet on. Did you know it makes your voice sound weird?” He said nervously, shaking a little bit. Igneous sighed. 

“I came here for your help.” 

“My help?” 

“Yeah. I’d like to fight you.”

“Fight...me?” Quartz asked nervously. Igneous sighed and shook his head.

“As practice! Sparring! I need some advice for how to use my  _ weight _ .” He said. “And what’s a better way than to fight each other?”

“So...A practice fight?” 

“Exactly!” Igneous said. 

“I can do that!” Quartz shouted before charging forward and punching Igneous in the shoulder. Igneous flinched, expecting a rush of pain. Instead, Quartz’ fist just clinked against his armor.

Igneous punched back and Quartz fell onto his behind. 

“Ow!” He shouted out of reflex. “Just try to dodge my attacks, it’s clear I can’t hurt you.” Quartz said, rubbing his head.

“Alright.” Igneous said, tensing up slightly. Quartz charged forwards and punched Igneous a couple times. He just froze as Quartz punched him many times.

“You need to dodge, use your weight!”

Igneous saw Quartz ready himself. He balled one hand into a fist and threw the punch forward. Igneous threw his weight back…

And promptly fell to the floor. 

This continued, a cycle of Igneous standing up, getting almost punched, and falling down whenever he tried to dodge. It only stopped when Quartz started to grow tired and was taking short breaks to catch his breath. 

“We can- Continue this- Tomorrow.” He said in between gasps. Igneous nodded. 

“Hey, um, do you want to be friends?” He asked when Quartz stood up. Quartz looked confused for a moment before he smiled.

“Sure.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, Sapphirezekat edited this chapter.


	17. Bonding

He thrusted his sword against Abbigail’s. She pushed back at his sword with strength unusual for a human, twisting it out of his hand. Taking the opportunity, she jumped forward, ready to stab at his armor. Igneous shut his eyes and threw his weight to the side, dodging the queen’s blade.

“You’re getting better at this!” Abbigail remarked with a smile. 

“Thank you.” Igneous replied. He bowed slightly before falling back into his ready stance, this time without his sword. Abbigail charged forward and Igneous slid underneath her, onto the ground. Within a couple moments, he’d grabbed his greatsword from where it lay beside him. 

He swept his sword upwards, but Abbigail parried quickly. Igneous yelped and fell back down out of shock. 

“You need to stay aware at all times, keep your sword in your hands. If it falls out of your grasp, distract your enemy until you can get it back.” Abbigail criticized. 

Igneous and Abbigail locked swords again. For several hours, their loop repeated itself, the same process, sword against sword. Igneous found himself subconsciously taking notes about the way his weight fell. The Enderqueen kept jabbing her sword around the most vulnerable spots in his armour, but he always managed to dodge, falling out of the way of the obsidian blade. After finally landing a series of hits on his opponent’s shoulder, Abbigail stepped back and tried to catch her breath. 

“I think we should stop.” She panted.

Igneous, however, was barely exerted. He was still desperate for practice, even though Abbigail was tired. “But I’m not tired.” He protested. Abbigail sighed.

“Then spar with Quartz!” She heaved, almost falling over. Igneous sighed and turned away. Picking his path through Conchord’s center square to the ablino Magnorite’s location.

He arrived where Quartz was staying. Quartz opened the door, smiling brightly.

“Oh, hey.” He greeted warmly. Igneous couldn’t help but smile back. Quartz beckoned him inside, and Igneous felt warm in his chest. They continued walking through the small building, emerging from the other side and into an open area.

The two of them sunk into their ready stances, beginning to spar. Igneous slammed his fist forward and Quartz dodged. Quartz then landed a couple punches. They fought, hand-to-hand for a couple more minutes before Quartz brought up an idea. 

“Do you know how to change?” He asked, stopping his assault. Igneous paused mid-punch, then shook his head. Quartz sighed. “Oh, well. I think you can’t even change right now, since you just became an Alpha and all. What if I propose something else?” 

Igneous stepped back. “What do you suggest?” 

Quartz smirked, before quickly taking the shape of his Moonlit form. The creaky snapping of the other’s bones rearranging jabbed at his ears; it all happened so fast he almost didn’t register what Quartz had just done.

“Try fighting me while I’m like this.” He said, a low growl accompanying the words; a side effect of becoming a Moonlit, before charging forwards. Igneous shrieked out of sheer bewilderment. Quartz took this opportunity, pinning Igneous to the ground with his front legs. He hissed, kicking his feet at the belly of the Moonlit. Quartz sighed, stepping back and allowing Igneous to get back up. 

“Come on, attack me.”

“With my claws? Or the sword?” 

“Whatever you want to use.”

Igneous then drew his sword, charging forward and swiping his sword at Quartz. Quartz lunged forward, quickly grasping the Magnorite’s shoulders and pinning Igneous to the ground. He clawed and scratched desperately as the Moonlit continued to keep pinning Igneous down.

“Okay, you can stop now!” Igneous shouted. Quartz smiled apologetically and stepped off. He trotted off and sat down. Igneous stood up and brushed off his knees. He looked over at Quartz, who was sitting alone under the oak. He sighed and walked over to the albino.

“Hey, what if I showed you something? To make up for that?” Quartz asked, looking at Igneous. The Magnorite sat down, let out a heavy sigh. 

“Like what?” 

Quartz shifted back into his Magnorite form with the same, practised speed he had turned earlier, the uncomfortable snapping not appearing to affect him. He stepped away, rummaging through a chest in his small shack. He brought out a crossbow and scanned his eyes along its length. “I could show you how to use one of these.” 

“Why?”

“To get food!” Quartz said, raising the crossbow in the air. “You’re not always going to be in your Moonlit form, so why shouldn’t you learn how to hunt food?”

“Why can’t I just stab my food?” 

“Because it’ll run away!” Quartz shouted, raising his arms into the air. Igneous sighed, then nodded.

====

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Igneous asked softly, gripping his borrowed crossbow tightly. 

“If you can aim it's a great idea,” Quartz teased.

Igneous nodded, then returned his attention to the target of his hunt. He aligned and aimed his crossbow at a rather plump pig. The swine was sniffing around a bush, then appeared to grab something with its mouth and eat it. Igneous wrapped his claw around the trigger beneath the wooden crossbeam on the bow. 

Tugging the little latch, the arrow he’d fitted on it earlier shot out with a twang. It zipped forward, just barely missing the pig, grazing the swine’s back. It squealed loudly, scaring any other potential prey away, and ran away through the forest.

“I can’t do this Quartz!” Igneous complained.

“Igneous,” he consoled, “It’ll be fine. I missed my first shots too. But, practice makes it easier.”

The pair took some time to travel to another location where the squeals of the pig hadn’t been heard by other animals. They’d have better luck out here. Their hunch turned out to be right, as they traversed through the soft, leaf strewn ground, Igneous stopped Quartz, spotting a deer hidden among the bushes and trees. A small pair of half grown horns could be seen on the animal’s head.

Igneous held in his breath as he tried again, this time he aimed for the head. He quickly took a moment to check the arrow he nocked was still straight, he fired the arrow. It hit the deer straight in its forehead.

“Good job Igneous.” Quartz crowed, a smile on his face.

Igneous felt like he had accomplished something for once in his short life, and he felt the urge to continue training with and using the crossbow.

“Could we please go and keep hunting?”

“Let’s eat first.” 

The two Magnorites went and collected the carcasse of the deer, Igneous pulling the arrow out of the animal’s head. They dragged it over to a nice, shady area under a tree, the pair sitting down side by side. Igneous felt himself trip a little inside, and he turned to Quartz.

“Uhh, I feel a little weird eating while someone is watching, would it be ok if you ate first, then I?”

“It’s okay, you can go first. I’ll go and see if I can find that arrow you shot earlier.”

With that, Quartz was gone, and Igneous turned back to the deer. It was such an odd feeling to him - still - to be hungry, but he ate anyway. After all, there were consequences if he didn’t. After he’d finished, he looked up, trying his best to clean up the mess around his mouth before Quartz returned.

As if on cue, the albino Magnorite appeared, right as Igneous finished cleaning his face. He had the arrow he’d said he would look for clutched in his hand, and he passed it over to Igneous. Igneous skittered back, allowing Quartz to eat. 

While Quartz ate, Igneous glanced at the arrow. He put it back into a quiver he’d brought along, the arrow falling back into the midst of several others, the feathers on the ends brushing against each other. He stood up and hurried off, trying his best not to disturb the quiet that hung over the peaceful forest. A couple moments later, he slowed himself and crouched low to the ground. His feet let out soft plops as he landed, and he took a moment to glance around. 

Rustling cut through the air. Igneous felt himself grow more aware of the noise. He looked towards the source and found a pig scrounging for food. He contemplated shooting it for a moment, almost feeling bad that he was going to end its life. It made him remember the times he used to talk to animals, as they were the only things that would ever listen to him.

Igneous sighed softly while he reminisced, then checked his aim one last time before he pulled the trigger. 

The pig shrieked as the arrow hit its neck. It kicked at the air, squealed one more time and fell to the ground as blood spilled out from the sides of the arrow. Thin columns of the liquid ruptured from the site of the injury. Igneous ran towards it and kneeled down next to it. He realized, with slight nausea, that it was still breathing, albeit soft. Shivering, he swallowed hard and jabbed it in the face with a claw.

One last soft squeal escaped it before it stopped breathing. He scooped the corpse up in his arms and walked back over to Quartz. Quartz looked over at him, still covered in blood.

“You shot a pig?”

“Yeah.” He said, plopping it on the ground. 

“Good for you.” Quartz said with a smile. 

“So...Um, do I save this one for later or?”

“Maybe you should feed it to your dragon.”

The two of them walked back into town. As soon as Igneous came into view, Obsidian leaped out, and tackled his Magnorite companion to the ground, dragging the pig away. Quartz and Igneous burst into laughter as he quickly devoured the pig with very little effort. After their bout of mirth had dissipated, Igneous looked over at Quartz awkwardly, imagining what those teeth could do to him once the dragon grew larger. 

“I don’t think it’ll be much longer until he’s fully grown.” Igneous commented. Obsidian heard this, wagged his tail and crouched down. “No!” Igneous shouted, knowing exactly what the dragon wanted. 

Obsidian jumped forwards, but Igneous managed to dodge. The dragon let out an impatient roar and tried to pounce again. The Magnorite ducked down. Obsidian flew into the air for a couple moments before roaring and landing on the Magnorite. Igneous groaned as the dragon’s weight sank into him. Quartz couldn’t help but laugh. Igneous sighed.

“I’m glad my suffering brings you amusement.”

“No, no, it’s not that, it’s just that--I never thought I’d see you under a dragon, much less your own!” Quartz said before laughing again. “Obsidian’s the Enderknight now!”

Igneous inhaled deeply as Obsidian withdrew his weight. He stood up and shook himself free of the aches that came when a dragon lays on you. Turning around, he headed further into the town. Obsidian trotted close behind and Quartz followed just as close.

“So, the moon’s going to be full tonight.” Quartz brought up. Igneous sighed.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this.”

“You might not even change.” Quartz said, spreading out his arms. “That process took a lot out of you. It might take a month or two for you to be able to change again.”

“Oh.” Igneous said, slightly relieved. “I’m glad I won’t have to go through the pain for at least today.” 

“Well, once you grow experienced enough, you can turn before the moon rises. It’s a lot easier that way.” 

“Then I guess I’ll have to let you teach me.” Igneous said, looking over at Quartz. The Magnorite’s companion shook his head. Igneous tilted his head in confusion. 

“That might be something Shale has to teach you, since he’s an Alpha...Also he’s your father. And maybe it’d be a good idea for him to teach you about your abilities.” 

“Like what kind of abilities?”

“I don’t know, I’m not an Alpha!” 

The two of them continued walking. They chatted about their day and what they were going to focus on the next time they sparred. Igneous heard Abbigail say something and he looked over. She waved him over to her. 

“We need to talk.”

  
  



	18. Don't Shoot the Messenger

“We could go to the Knights of Ardonia!” Topaz declared, followed by a squawk.

Igneous was slightly confused. “Who are the Knights of Ardonia?” he asked.

“They’re a band of humans, Ardoni, Magnorites and maybe some other races I have forgotten the names of.” the messenger bird replied. “They had formed as a safe haven against the Voltaris, and now Vraleus.”

“Aren’t they not a problem anymore?” Igneous asked, referring to the red Ardoni clan.

“They aren’t of our concern unless Vraleus uses them.” Topaz replied.

“So what do you want me to do with these Knights of Ardonia?” Igneous queried, intrigued by the idea of more allies against the sorcerer.

“I'm thinking we could have a little chat. Won't hurt if we get to know them a little bit.” he suggested.

Igneous nodded.

“Can you arrange that?” he asked Topaz.

“It would take weeks! I gotta fly all the way there and back, and-”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Igneous interrupted. “Happy trails.” 

Topaz scowled as best a bird could scowl, then reluctantly flew out towards the Northwind mountains, where the Knights of Ardonia had stationed their strongest fort. If they didn’t accept, he would be beyond mad.

====

Several days had passed, all of which Topaz had spent soaring over trees and swathes of barren plains, reciting his message. He had flown towards a mountain where the Knights of Ardonia were stationed. An arrow whizzed by his beak and he lost his balance in shock. Topaz landed with a thud on the top of a thick, stone wall and saw a female archer poised on a rock shelf, bow drawn. A pair of fluffy cat ears stood high on her head.

“Masani,” A male voice sounded from further behind the Felina, and a soft yellow glow was coming into sight, ”Don’t shoot the damned messenger bird!”

“What else am I supposed to do? It came out of absolutely nowhere!” The woman, now known as Masani, replied, irritated.

A Nestoris walked beside her, and picked Topaz up, “How about we listen to the bird?”

He received an eye roll before turning his attention back to the avian in his hands, listening to the report from the bird.

“This bird might be coming from someone who can help us.” Hubris explained to the Felina.

Masani nodded and climbed down to meet Topaz at the entrance

“I come bringing news, we need help.” Topaz said.

“I’ll send another messenger bird to the captain and gather everyone else. We will follow your lead.” Hubris told Topaz. “For now, you should rest.”

“Wait, you're not the leader?” Topaz asked as he turned his head to face the Ardoni, confused.

“Well I am the second in command here, since our captain is constantly out recruiting.” Hubris responded.

Topaz nodded and waited outside with Masani. The silence was tense and palpable, and Topaz could’ve sworn that there was an arrow pointed at his small form. The bird wanted to break the silence, but also didn’t feel like saying anything to the person who’d just tried to shoot him.

Eventually Hubris returned with another Magnorite and an individual of a strange species he had never seen before, not even in his long years delivering messages.

“We’re set,” Hubris declared, “Let's go.”

====

Igneous paced around anxiously. That bird had been gone for an entire month! He paced around some more and then glanced outside of Quartz’ small shack. The pale Magnorite glanced over at the pacing Magnorite. 

“Hey, hey, it’s gonna be fine.” He said, facing Igneous. He sighed and glanced away from Quartz.

“I know it will...probably. I just---I can’t stop thinking about what could be happening out there.” 

“I doubt they can catch a messenger bird.” Quartz said, glancing out his doorway. Suddenly, the harsh beating of wings caught their attention. Igneous and Quartz charged towards the noise, expecting Topaz to be the source of the noise. Instead, a small red bird landed before them. Igneous stopped rather fast, almost falling forwards onto the bird. The bird squawked loudly in response.

“Watch where you’re going, idiot!” It shouted. Igneous stepped back and breathed out a quick apology.

“Where’s Topaz?” Quartz asked. Igneous almost facepalmed--how come he didn’t ask that?! The red bird chittered a little before flying onto Quartz’ shoulder. It flexed a wing and huffed. 

“Ataraxia. I was sent here because he’s communicating with the Knights. He wants you guys to come to Ataraxia, to meet with the Knights.” 

“What? Come to them? What if this is a--” Quartz started.

“Where even is Ataraxia? I’ve never heard of it.” Igneous interrupted.

“I don’t know but that’s not important. Topaz said the Knights could help us, but I don’t know if I trust them.”

“Why would Topaz lie to you?” The red bird asked. Quartz shook his head. 

“I don’t know, but I don’t want to just walk in there expecting things to go well.” Quartz said softly. The bird tilted its head before flying off of Quartz’ shoulder.

“We have the Enderqueen and her Knights. They can protect us.” Igneous said. Quartz sighed quietly.

“I hope so.”

====

A week later, Igneous hopped off of Luna’s back, huffing as he stretched his cramped muscles. Obsidian followed close behind, now coming up to Luna’s shoulders. He scanned the marketplaces of Biggerton. 

“I know we can get a map here.” He said. “That’s why I suggested coming here.”

“We could also have flown around on the back of a dragon and found it that way.” Holly commented. Igneous sighed.

“Yeah, but it’d take longer and I don’t know how patient the Knights are.” He said, looking over at a certain shop. “I think we should ask around.”

“I think Abbigail should handle that.” Quartz commented. Abbigail stepped off her dragon and nodded. 

“Yeah. They’re--they’re not very good to Magnorites here.” 

In response, Igneous shoved his helmet on. “What about Enderknights?” 

“Uh--”

“See, I can get the map now!” Igneous said with a smile and a raised hand, albeit concealed by his helmet. He then lowered his hand. “...Where would I get a map?” 

Abbigail pointed at a shop. 

“Oh, there!” Igneous said, before turning and walking across the street to the small shop. A creaky wooden sign hung from above the front door, and he had to duck slightly to avoid bumping his head. The bell rang sharply as he wandered in. 

“Hey, could I get a map?” He asked the man, who was currently rummaging through a chest. The man murmured something before glancing over at Igneous. He stepped back in shock.

“An Enderknight? Here? Why?” He asked.

“I need a map of Ardonia. Please.” Igneous said, plopping gold on the counter. The man took and slid a thin sheet of inked parchment to Igneous. He grabbed the map, pocketed it, took off his helmet and smiled. “Thanks.”

The man only squinted his eyes. Igneous felt his smile fade off his face. The man continued to glare. “You stole that armor, didn’t you?” 

“Wha--no! I wouldn’t--” 

“Guard!” The man shouted. Igneous charged out of the shop, the man chasing him so close that Igneous could almost feel him touching his armor. “Guards! Guards! Guards!” 

Abbigail cut through the two of them and separated them with her arms. The man still screamed at the top of his lungs for the guards, and some of them had started to charge towards them.

“STOP.” Abbigail ordered. The guards halted. The man glared at her and then back at Igneous. Igneous wanted to flatten himself against the ground, just to escape this man’s wrath. “What is wrong with you?” Abbigail said slowly, facing the man. The man shuddered, glancing back at the frozen guards. 

“He stole the armor of one of your Knights, Queen.” He said. Abbigail shook her head.

“Nope. He’s one of my Knights.” 

“What…?” He asked, dumbfounded by Abbigail’s statement. Igneous grimaced, finding the man not only terribly prejudiced, but also stupid. 

“She’s saying I’m an Enderknight. I’m sorry you happen to be lacking in the educational department.” Igneous said, frowning. The man just sat there.

“No, no, this isn’t real.” He said, crossing his arms. “Even if you are a Knight, you’re gonna be the death of her!” Igneous’ eyes widened and he covered his face with his arms. Abbigail glared at the man. 

“I think we should leave.” She said, motioning Igneous onto Luna’s back. Igneous nodded, putting his helmet back on, because he feared the faces he’d make at the man as they flew off. He followed her and hopped onto the large dragon’s back. 

They flew off and Igneous perked up a little. “Hey, it isn’t far! I think we should be there in a day or two!” 

===

Soon, night fell, Quartz set a fire with some sticks he gathered. They all gathered around the fire. Obsidian nudged Igneous with his head, but Igneous waved the dragon off. Senn glanced at the fire, almost as if he was remembering something. Igneous tilted his head and approached his friend. The others were heading off to bed, except for Quartz and Shale. 

“Are you alright?” Igneous asked. Senn continued to glare at the fire. “Are you alright?” Igneous repeated, louder. Senn looked up at Igneous and sighed.

“Yeah.” 

“You’ve been looking at the fire for a while, though. Are you sure you’re an Ardoni and not a Magnorite in disguise?”

“What?”

“Well, you seem pretty infatuated by the fire.” Igneous commented, chuckling a little. “Almost as if you’re going to jump into it.”

“I’m not going to jump into it! I’m not like--like that!” Senn snapped a little. Igneous felt his throat seize. He couldn’t comment, couldn’t speak on that. “Sorry, it’s just--it reminds me of something.” 

“I knew I shouldn’t have asked…” Igneous said. 

“No, no, it’s not your fault.”

“Would you mind explaining?” 

“Yeah, but I know you’re not going to shut up about it.” Senn took a deep breath in. “It reminds me of traveling with Thalleous.”

“You traveled with Thalleous?” Igneous asked. Senn nodded. “Then why are you sad?”

“Because he’s dead!” 

“...When? How?” 

“We were traveling, and then we came back and--Why am I telling you?! It’s nothing you need to know!” He shouted, before turning away from Igneous. The Magnorite brought a hand to his companion’s face. Senn swatted it away.

Igneous turned away. “It was stupid of me to assume we were friends.” He expected this to arouse a response from what he thought was his first friend.

“We never were.” 

Igneous walked away, shaking his head free of the thought of crying.  _ It’s not true, never was, never will be. He’s just mad because Thalleous died. Let it go, let it go. He will be your friend tomorrow, yes, yes.  _

He walked slowly, keeping his head up as far as it could go.  _ Focus. Eyes on the stars. Can’t cry if you’re looking at the stars, can you?  _

“Igneous?” A soft voice asked. 

He turned around and saw Shale before him. “Yes?” 

“I just wanted to see if you were okay.” 

Igneous felt one of his hands ball into a fist. “Of course I am. Always have been.” Shale shook his head.

“It’s okay to not be okay right now, buddy.”

“I’M FINE.” Igneous snapped. Shale looked down. 

“Sure, sure, buddy, you’re okay.” He said, but it felt artificial. Igneous snarled lowly before catching himself and swallowing the snarl. He looked at Shale, but found he was no longer there. Igneous sighed, the rage that he felt building inside of him dissipating as quickly as it came. 

_ I know what can make you happy.  _ A voice said. Igneous shook his head.

“I’m fine, thank you very much.” 

Large footsteps, a swish of a tail.

_ You aren’t.  _

“What makes you say that?” 

_ I know you better than anyone else. I know what I want and you want. Same goes for you, doesn’t it?  _

“Nope, I don’t think I understand.”

_ Look at me. _

He turned around. 

_ We should fly.  _ He heard the voice say as he looked at a large dragon, standing before him. As he recognised the reptilian beast, he swallowed his uncertainty.

“I thought you couldn’t talk!” He gasped, incredulous.

_ Not in the typical way, no. But what works, works.  _

“Can you not be cryptic?” 

_ Sorry. I thought it’d be fun and would get your mind off of things.  _ Obsidian said with a smile.  _ Now, climb onto my back.  _

“You aren’t big enough.” 

_ Sure I am. Now climb on.  _

“...Alright.” Igneous sighed, though there was a hint of an amused chuckle at the end. He clambered onto the Enderdragon’s back. 

_ Now... Uh, I have to warn you. I’ve never done this before.  _

“What?”

Obsidian didn’t answer, instead flapping his head wings and lifting them both into the air. Igneous shouted in pure shock. 

“Auueeegh!” His shout was loud enough to send birds ripping from their nests. Obsidian only flew higher into the air. 

_ HOW DO I GO FORWARD?  _

“I don’t know! I don’t have wings!” Igneous’ voice ripped through his throat, making his mouth burn. Obsidian stretched out his wings and found himself gliding forward. 

_ Hey, this is fun.  _ He said as they shot through the sky.  _...Except for the fact I don’t know how to turn.  _ Obsidian said as he noticed a tree before them.

“Flap your--” Igneous shouted right as they hit the tree. Igneous flew off his dragon and hit the ground with a loud thump. He groaned, knowing if not for his armor, he’d be terribly wounded. Obsidian just crumpled next to the tree in a mess of pain and embarrassment.

_ Maybe I should have talked to Luna.  _ He said before Igneous felt the presence of his dragon fade. The Magnorite stood up, approaching Obsidian. Adrenaline now kept the pain at bay. He patted the dragon and heard him exhale heavily. Igneous then realized that the dragon was alive, just barely awake. The presence at the back of his mind still stayed. 

“Why did you choose now to talk?” He asked. Obsidian heaved out heavily again. 

_ I don’t know, I just...it just clicked today. I figured it out. Somehow.  _ Igneous could feel the confusion emanating from the dragon. How come he only noticed now? Had he been so blind for so long? Or was this only happening now because it had to?

“Tomorrow, when Abbigail wakes up, we will learn how to fly.” He said, petting the dragon. Weakly, Obsidian nodded.

_ That’s a great idea. _

  
  



	19. Negotiations

They had travelled by foot, none of the dragons wished to fly after all the action in the past several months. Soon, they reached a river of Guardians. Igneous froze in his steps as he recognised the large, stoney-skinned fish, the largest, palest one staring at him with one, shining eye. It also appeared to recognise him, and ducked back underwater, a bridge of prismarine surfacing. Senn, who had held back behind Igneous, stared suspiciously at the path. He could almost feel the Ardoni’s gaze burning into the back of his head as he turned away from the river, and he gazed behind him, saddened, at his once friend.

Quartz held out his left hand, offering it to Igneous, “Hey, if you’re scared, just close your eyes. I promise I’ll keep you from falling in.”

“No, no, it’s ok.”

He nervously took one last glance at the river before gathering himself, and walking across the path. It was oddly solid, and did not bob up and down like he would expect. He quickly ran across, afraid the bridge would sink if he didn’t make it across in time. He leaped off the end of the path, and he tripped slightly, losing his balance briefly before catching it again. He stood, slightly hunched over, catching his breath. A slight thump on his right side alerted him to Quartz’s arrival, and another thump on his left signified Abbigail’s. Their dragons followed soon after, walling off the sides of their vision with cliffs of black scales.

The Enderknights, Quartz and Senn ran over the hill that rose in front of them, the travellers summiting the rise in the ground. Igneous thought that his first time flying on Luna would be the most beautiful sight he’d ever see… Boy, was he wrong. Islands floated, unchallenged by the laws of nature. Humans and Ardoni conversed, appearing like tiny dolls and figurines from their vantage point on the cliffside. Words did not do the sunset bathed land justice. And most of all, it was… Incredibly peaceful...

Too peaceful.

“Is this our stop?” Quartz asked, pulling him out of his reverie.

Igneous pulled out his map from his inventory, studying the parchment closely, “Says so on the map.”

They all mounted their dragons, Igneous not used to sitting on Obsidian’s back, the team gliding down into the centre of the village square. They landed their dragons, carefully steering away from the densest areas. Obsidian, however, was not quite careful enough, and his tail broke a wooden beam, knocking over a small stall. The human inside ran out of the collapsing building. Igneous pressed his hands to his ears as Obsidian’s mental yell of apology rang through his head.

_ SORRY- _

Igneous jumped off quickly, stumbling slightly. He ran after the human.

“Oh my goodness, are you okay?”

The human stopped running, and nodded jerkily. Igneous sighed with relief, and once again, apologised on behalf of Obsidian, before turning to a confused Kaltaris, who was standing slack jawed in the middle of the road.

“Do you know where I can find the Knights of Ardonia?” Igneous asked.

“The what?” the Ardoni replied, bright green eyes staring up at the Magnorite.

“Nevermind.”

He then turned to his companions, who were also asking the locals for the location of their target.

“Any luck?” Senn asked.

“Nope.” Abbigail responded.

Right as she finished her sentence however, another, male, voice sounded from behind them.

“Is someone looking for the Knights of Ardonia?”

“Uh yeah, actually, we are.” Quartz turned around, facing a greenish-yellow Nestoris.

“That’s us.” the Nestoris replied. He then gestured behind him at a Felina female, a Magnorite, and a tall creature with long, spiked horns and an even longer tail. It was almost as big as Igneous in his Moonlit form. Igneous took a moment to study the unfamiliar creature before walking to meet the Nestoris.

“Hello sir, I’m Igneous, the one who sent Topaz," He stuttered for a moment, "I-I mean the messenger bird.”

“I see. Well, it's nice to meet another ally such as yourself, Igneous. My name is Hubris,”

The Nestoris; Hubris, then pointed behind him, “Behind me are the Knights of Ardonia whom I trust the most, Onyx, Grek, and Masani, our captain isn’t here.”

He pointed to the Magnorite, unknown creature and the Felina as he listed their names.

Grek spoke up quickly, “By the way, I’m a Jaggathan. I don’t think you’ll know about me, there aren’t many of us left.”

Igneous nodded quickly to Grek in acknowledgement before addressing Hubris, “You aren’t the leader?”

“Well I am second in command,” he replied.

“Are you allowed to negotiate?” Shale asked.

“I should be.” Hubris replied, though with a hint of uncertainty. Igneous wasn’t convinced that he was allowed to speak for the Knights, but didn’t want to waste anymore time.

“Then we should talk.”

Abbigail glanced awkwardly at Igneous, "I think I'll leave you two to work out a plan, come back to me when you're done, or if there's danger."

Igneous then recited what he was to say in his head as the two factions entered a small bar, sitting down near the corner of the establishment so nobody could overhear them.

“So what are you doing to counter the Voltaris?” Hubris asked.

“Yeah, we’ll get to the Voltaris in a bit,” Igneous replied.

Hubris stood up, as if he were thinking they were going to turn into the red-marked Ardoni at any moment.

“Calm down, we are focusing on a different threat at the moment.” Igneous explained, Hubris calmed down a little.

“What’s the other threat?” the Nestoris asked.

“There is a sorcerer named Vraleus who has taken control of the Nether. We are trying to stop him.” Shale said.

“Nonsense.” Grek scoffed, though slightly sarcastically. He was squatting on the floor nearby, just so he could fit in the building.

“Wait, Hubris, you said these Voltaris were masters of dark magic.” Onyx replied.

“Vraleus, however, isn’t a Voltaris. He’s a human...or well, he looks like one.” Igneous responded.

Hubris turned to Igneous. “Why were you seeking us out if you didn't want to attack the Voltaris at all?” he asked.

Igneous didn’t prepare a response to such a question, but just as he was about to talk Senn stated. “The Voltaris have a history of uniting with the nether, it is a possibility they will ally, and if they do we should help each other.”

“He has a point, Hubris.” Onyx replied.

Hubris thought about what he said “I’m going to have to get the captain’s approval on this,” he then replied.

“And where is your captain?” Shale asked.

“We don’t know.” Grek replied. “We only see her if she finds some stray Voltaris.”

“Well, we gotta find whoever your captain is.” Shale said. He hopped off his seat and stepped out of the bar. He immediately backtracked however, an arrow clutched in his hand.

“Where’d that arrow come from?”

“Above us!” Senn shouted.

Igneous ran towards where the first arrow had been fired and glanced upwards. He saw a Netheran wielding a bow and arrow, on top of the cliff. The Netheran fired another arrow, this time it was targeted at Igneous. The arrow zoomed at the Magnorite, but bounced off his rocky skin.

Igneous growled, and the Netheran fled from his position.

“Get him!” Igneous shouted.

They all charged through Ataraxia, weaving between buildings, chasing down the Netheran archer. Every few paces, the orange-armoured warrior would turn, firing an arrow at them. Igneous dodged the projectiles with ease, as it seemed the archer had panicked, and charged. Masani fired her own arrows in the back lines, and one managed to hit the Netheran’s ankle. He winced in pain as he pulled the arrow out, but the Knights of Ardonia, and Igneous caught up to him. Igneous tackled the Netheran, grasped his shoulders, spinning him around and pressing him to the ground. He groaned in pain, his metal bow knocked several feet away from arm's reach.

“How did you find us?” Igneous snarled.

The Netheran sneered, "Wouldn't you like to know."

Igneous grew angry at the response and clenched his fist, “If you value your life you will answer me.” he said.

“I’m not telling you anything, you won’t be able to stop-” the Netheran said, but a quick punch to his cheek silenced him. A thunderous roar suddenly suffused the air, and the sky above them darkened. Abbigail leapt off Luna, landing with a loud thud, warping the dirt beneath her boots. She was followed by Everett, though the rest of the Enderknights stayed on their dragons, circling them in the sky above.

Igneous placed his foot on the Netheran’s chest. “Speak.” He hissed. The Netheran shook his head. The Magnorite drove his foot down harder onto the Netheran’s chest. He let out a heavy puff in pain and then waved his arms around. Igneous let up a little.

“Fine, fine!” He shouted at Igneous. Huffing, the Magnorite brought his face down to the Netheran’s. 

“What is Vraleus planning?” He asked, growling. The Netheran squirmed a little bit. 

“Let me go and--”

Igneous rammed his foot into the Netheran harder. “WHAT IS VRALEUS PLANNING?” He shouted, voice on the border of a roar. Igneous heaved in, heavily, swallowing his rage. He smiled at the Netheran, who then coughed up information. 

“Vraleus doesn’t know where you are just yet. However...he will know soon!” The Netheran rammed his body upwards. He drew out his sword and charged at Igneous. 

The Magnorite shut his eyes out of reflex, balled his hands into a fist, and rammed forward. His opponent fell back, caught off guard by the sheer strength of the Magnorite, letting out a sickening crack. 

“You cannot,” The Netheran gasped, looking up at Igneous. He approached the Netheran slowly, grasping his sword tightly. He contemplated using his sword or his fists, but then swallowed the thought. He needed to be merciful, to be happy, he was Igneous! “You cannot stop Vraleus!” 

The Netheran stood up, gait shaky. He grabbed his sword tightly. Igneous took his eyes off the Netheran and glared up at the sky. The moon hung, fat and full around an inky mass of stars. He hissed, pain running down his back. The Netheran charged forwards, sword raised. 

Igneous stepped forward and threw the Netheran to the floor. He roared, grabbed his sword and slammed it into the Netheran’s chest. Orange, glowing blood splattered out as Igneous drew the sword free. Crumpling, his assailant fell and Igneous grabbed at his temples. He doubled over, heaving out heavily. 

“Igneous…?” He heard someone ask softly. “Are you alright?” 

_ I...Need….get out…  _ He thought, ripping off his armor. He stepped away and felt a presence beside him. A heavy heave escaped him as he stepped away.  _ Please….I don’t want this...I want...to be… _

“Igneous, please!” 

His thoughts were muddled, he wanted so desperately to get free of this, to become what he used to be. He wanted  _ himself _ back. 

He threw his head forward, pain engulfing his body. Anger, rage, consumed him, throwing his vision into redness. Control left him, dripping out of his grasp like sand. He cried out, but his voice was overcome by a terrible roar. He fought, clawing at his own mind.

But soon, he wondered why he was even fighting.

He lifted his head, glaring at his first target. 

  
  



	20. An Inner Battle

He stopped himself, sinking his claws into the ground. Heavy breaths escaped him, teeth gritting as his bones shifted with an audible snap. Senn shivered in his gaze and he couldn’t help but feel the hunger--the rage gnaw at him. Fighting with full force, he was keeping the beast at bay, the one that had now started to gnaw at his insides.

_ Why am I even fighting…?  _ He wondered, glowing yellow orbs for eyes glaring at Senn. The Ardoni stayed frozen, glaring at Igneous with white eyes glimmering with what he had to assume were tears. 

He roared, throwing himself at his former friend. Senn tried to move away, but it was too late. The clanless was thrown to the ground, dirt flying into his opponent’s face for a moment. However, Igneous wasn’t deterred. He bared his teeth, a loud hissing ripping through his throat. 

And then he stopped, stepping back. Senn’s heavy breathing filled his ears as he wondered why he was doing this. He didn’t want this--no this was--no! He--

Growling, he glared back at Senn.

He wanted this….And Senn….

Lunging, he bit into Senn’s arm.

_ Senn deserved it.  _ That damned Ardoni was nothing but dead weight and a damned traitor. He never cared about him, never,  _ never,  _ **_never_ ** . So, what was he going to do with dead weight?

Harder, harder, harder. Another bite. Something hit the side of his head. He tore the flesh as he turned towards the source of the hit, glaring now at Quartz. Senn whimpered as Quartz held a hand up to Igneous’ face.

“Please...Don’t do this.” He begged. Igneous’ pupils narrowed into small slits as he approached and pinned the other Moonlit to the ground. A soft snort and then a heavy growl escaped him. Senn whimpered, staring at Igneous, shocked. He quickly gathered himself though, then ran as quickly as he could while injured. Igneous roared, charging after his once ‘friend.’ 

Quartz grabbed one of Igneous’ legs. The Moonlit fell to the floor and twitched his tail angrily. Growling, he turned around and lunged at Quartz. 

_ I thought you loved me...I thought we were friends.  _ He thought, anger throbbing through him. 

_ Igneous, please.  _ A voice yelled, a voice crying for him.  _ Please don’t...Don’t do this. Please. You don’t know what you’re doing...Don’t.  _

He roared, clawing at Quartz’ face. Quartz retaliated, though only after a moment’s hesitation, clawing and scratching at Igneous’ stomach. Igneous screeched in pain, throwing himself back. 

Igneous stumbled away, anger burning through him. He looked back one more time, growling, before running off. 

Screaming. His ears were full of screaming. He didn’t know whose screams they were, but he didn’t care. He snapped his teeth, gnashed them, reveling in the fear and horror. That’s what he was, that’s what he’d always be; a monster. He roared and snarled, flames brushing against his teeth. A smirk, terrible and unnatural, grew across his face as he breathed three bursts of red-hot flames. 

====

Quartz huffed and watched as Igneous ran. He wanted to chase after but a feeling told him not too. Quartz turned towards the rest of the party.

“We can't go after him.” Quartz sighed.

“Why should we? All Igneous wants is to kill us. I should’ve never let him into my life! Nor should you have!” Senn yelled, grabbing his arm, scowling in pain. Quartz couldn’t tell whether it was just physical pain or emotional.

“Are you ok Senn?”

“Does it look like I’m ok?” he snapped back.

Quartz winced looking at Senn’s wound, and Ceris came up. He took out a roll of old linen from his inventory, and without waiting for the clanless to protest, bandaged the wound. Quartz tried to gather and assemble the rest of them, but nobody would listen to the Moonlit.

“I knew all this time that behemoth would turn on us, so I’m not following  _ you  _ any longer.” Rhaegoth jabbed at the albino with one of his armoured fingers.

“Rhaegoth, what are you doing?” Abbigail asked.

“I can’t deal with this! If this is what the Enderknights are now...then I’m not one of them.” he snapped as he stormed off. The group glared at each other while a howl sounded in the background. It was no doubt Igneous continuing his rampage.

Quartz pulled a face, then chased in the direction from where the sounds were emanating, after Igneous. He did not care for his well being as he allowed the primal nature of his form to take over, following his senses blindly as he chased after the Alpha. He eventually found him, lunging onto him and pinning him down. He shoved the Moonlit into the ground, forcing him to stay in place, though not willingly. Igneous sputtered and snarled, kicking desperately. However, Quartz was larger and more experienced, and was more than capable of keeping the Moonlit down. Igneous eventually gave in, bloodied form growing limp as eventually, all that was left moving was his chest, faintly rising and falling. 

Quartz started to cry, loudly. Igneous was too tired, too out of it to give a single crap about Quartz’ cries for him to stop. Quartz, despite Igneous being deaf to his pleas, continued for hours until the sun rose and they fell into the void of unconsciousness.

====

The first thing he noticed, when he blinked his eyes open, is that everyone was glaring at him distantly. Senn looked scorned. Quartz looked as if he was betrayed, and Shale looked concerned, while everyone else looked nervous. Rhaegoth was gone, and so was his recollection of last night.

“Hey?” He asked, bewilderment filling him. With each beat of his heart, his head thumped and throbbed. “Guys…?” 

Senn glared at him and spoke up. “Stop playing dumb. We know what you did last night.” He growled. Igneous’ eyes widened.

“What? I-I can’t remember!” Igneous whimpered, fearing the rage Senn was conveying in his voice and in his eyes. Senn’s eyes shrank further.

“Stop playing dumb! You tried to kill us!” Senn shouted, voice bordering that of the rumble of thunder. Igneous shivered and shrank into the ground. 

“I would...never try to hurt you, Senn.” Igneous said, eyes starting to drip lava. Senn prepared his voice for another shout but Quartz shoved him to the side.

“He’s not lying.” Quartz growled. Senn glared at him. Quartz looked back at Igneous. “Do you remember what happened?” 

Igneous gulped heavily. “No.”

“You tried to kill us. I don’t think it was  _ you  _ necessarily, but you caused quite a bit of harm.” 

“Why…? Why’d I do that…? What happens next?”

“Well, you lost control, I’m guessing. I’ll try to clear things up with the people here, but until then, you should rest.” Quartz said.

Obsidian nudged Igneous with his snout, saying a couple words of agreement.  _ Yes. I could...Feel him grow distant. Something controlled him, his worst emotions, I’m guessing.  _

Everyone, except for the Enderknights, stepped back in shock. Igneous stifled a chuckle at their reaction.

“Ender Dragons can talk?” Shale asked. Abbigail nodded.

“They usually don’t talk to people outside their riders. Must have been so important that Obsidian broke that tradition.”

Igneous shoved his face into the ground and felt himself grow tired.

  
  



	21. What Could Go Wrong?

Vraleus overlooked his nether kingdom the wither skeletons, withers and ghasts oversaw the fiery hellscape. The few rebels Vraleus eyed were silenced. He then turned back towards the Nether castle, taking a short moment to note a large crack on one of the arches which supported the ceiling. Vraleus then levitated towards his throne, the lava which oozed through the nether brick on the throne was beautiful to his sadistic, green eyes.

Hestia stood by the throne displeased with everything.

“You’re not the king of the Nether.” she snarled.

“Yes, yes, I have heard that before.” Vraleus said, unable to hold back a short bark laughter.

“You have turned our realm into chaos and civil war!” she shouted.

“We will silence the rebels.” he replied.

“You will break the balance between the realms and kill us all!” Hestia replied, her voice getting angrier each sentence. Vraleus stepped off his fiery seat.

“You may have a point.” Vraleus said. Vraleus strode towards the female netharan and she stepped backward.

“We must extinguish the End. It is the only way.” Vraleus murmured.

“You want to do what?” she asked confused and scared.

“You heard my wishes, Hestia, gather the army. The End must die.” Vraleus responded.

“You're--you’re a madman.” Hestia stammered.

“This will benefit our realms Hestia, you must trust me.” he replied. 

Hestia nodded and called the army up. Wither skeletons, withers, blazes, skeletons, netharans and ghasts crawled up the many steps. One Netharan stood in front of the rest, holding an iron longsword that appeared recently forged or repaired.

“Who might you be?” Vraleus asked.

“I am Ignitus. The Nether’s forces sent me here to apply for the position of general.” he said.

“Ah, Ignitus, we do need a general. Tell me why it should be you.” Vraleus tested.

“I have slain many. In the Great War I managed to bring a dragon to its knees. I even killed one of Kaius’ students.” Ignitus revealed.

“Which one?” Vraleus asked.

“Do you expect me to ask someone I’m killing their name?” 

“I am impressed. I doubt you are lying, since I knew one of those students, and found them dead. You may come and join us.” Vraleus said.

“What are your orders master?” Ignitus asked.

“We are to destroy the End, and their pathetic little Knights; without them, the overworld will fall.” Vraleus explained.

“Where to?” Ignitus asked.

“We strike Conchord, that's where they are.” Vraleus said.

“They aren’t at Conchord.” a voice said. Vraleus, Ignitus, and Hestia turned to find Rhaegoth standing on the nether brick.

“Ah! A lone Enderknight! Your end will be swift!” Ignitus chriped, an oddly light sound coming from such a brute.

“The people you are looking for are at Ataraxia, not Conchord.” Rhaegoth replied.

“I see just one Enderknight, but how do I know that you aren’t trying to lead my army into a trap?” Vraleus probed, suspicious.

“Can’t you just use your magic to look inside my damned head? The Magnorite you are after is a monster and the Enderknights support him. If you are going to kill him, I support you.” Rhaegoth replied.

Vraleus sighed and mentally prepared an assault on the purple clad warrior. Summoning one of his mental probes, he ran his gaze over the armour surrounding Rhaegoth’s mind, examining weak spots he could use to pry into the Enderknight’s personality. Finding the point, he drilled against it, ramming his own mind against the others, causing him to wince, alerted by the sound of his helmet shifting slightly. Vraleus peered into the memories he’d just uncovered, and discovered all of them were involving Igneous. From the attack on Etherea all the way to his creation going rampant and assaulting a small, thin-looking Ardoni with blank markings.

“I see you are no friend of Ragnarok.” Vraleus noted, withdrawing from Rhaegoth’s mind.

Rhaegoth scraped his helmet, displaying his confusion without the need to speak; he was still collecting himself from Vraleus’ intrusion. 

The sorcerer sighed, “The monster who tried to kill that Ardoni.” he explained.

Rhaegoth nodded, though still not entirely understanding. Vraleus ignored his confusion, gesturing for Ignitus and the rogue Enderknight to follow him through the portal behind his throne. The information was incredibly useful. He allowed a smile to creep across his face as the portal swallowed them whole.

====

Igneous laid awake, distressed that night. The concept of attacking his teammates was foreign to him.  _ How could I have done this, attacking my own team? My friends?  _ He thought, Igneous whimpered, regretting everything he had just done.

“Are you ok?” 

Igneous lifted his head up to find Quartz sitting next to him.

“Yeah I’m fine,” Igneous lied.

Quartz tilted his head to look into Igneous’ eyes, knowing that his companion wasn’t doing so well. 

Igneous then huffed, “I just can’t believe I actually tried to kill you.”

“I understand.” Quartz replied.

Igneous was shocked into a brief moment of silence at the other’s empathetic response. It was not something he thought could come out of a person who seemed reluctant to even hurt a fly, “Thank you for understanding Quartz... Although I fear nobody else will be as kind as you.”

“I know you lost control over yourself, that wasn’t your fault at all. I promise I’ll figure out a way to convince them it’s not your fault.”

“I appreciate that Quartz, but honestly, defending me is a waste of your time and energy. Nobody is going to listen.”

“Then we must convince them that you  _ are _ innocent.”

“Thank you Quartz.” Igneous said.

Quartz smiled at Igneous. Smiling. Igneous could feel something rear up within him, feeling warm, and fuzzy, and all the things he felt were good in the world. He had no idea how to comprehend it, until something came to the forefront of his mind. It was something he almost believed a Magnorite like him should ever be experiencing... 

...Love, Igneous was in love with Quartz.

He stared up at the other Moonlit, wide-eyed as he came to this conclusion. What had driven him to fall like this? He quickly scoured the past events for any signs or clues as to why he was feeling this way, and everything was starting to make sense. It was so obvious! How could he have not seen it?

He sat up as quickly as he could, and felt a little dizzy as he stared at the other, even more heat than he thought possible rising to his face, the lava beneath the rocky plates glowing noticeably brighter. Quartz looked away from him.

“Igneous, I-I have something I’d like to say to you,” he stammered.

“May I hear?”

“Igneous, I-I-I really- I really like you---like, love you.” Quartz confessed. Igneous’ eyes widened as the revelations were shared.

“Y-you do?” he replied. A roller coaster of emotions filled his head, excitement, nervousness and so on.

“Yes Igneous I do, and hope you like me back.” Quartz replied.

“Of course I like you, Quartz.” he shot back, not entirely of his own volition. But he was so glad to say it. Elation filled him as the white Magnorite smiled back, and they both sat, across from each other, staring into each other’s eyes as the night air drowned out all the noises not tangentially connected to the two.  
Quartz settled down, lying on his back, next to the other. Igneous cracked a slight smile.

It was perfect.

Nothing could  _ possibly _ go wrong.

Right?

==== 

Early in the next morning Igneous and Quartz rallied up everyone at the camp, gently shaking each member of the team to wakefulness. Most of them weren’t really happy to have been awakened that early.

“Listen up everyone,” Quartz announced, settling down on a log, “Igneous needs to talk to you.” 

“I know you all probably hate me after what I did, but I want to apologize. I’m hoping you can eventually forgive me.” Igneous said.

“You keep trying to kill us!” Senn snapped, his top lip curling in a snarl.

“I wasn’t in my right mind! I-I don’t know what happened but it wasn’t me!” Igneous stammered, having trouble coming up with a response.

“I doubt it.” 

Igneous grew angry at the comment, but repressed his emotions. “I believe Vraleus is causing this.” He declared.

“And why would Vraleus waste his time on you?” Ceris rebutted.

Igneous wanted to state what Vraleus had told him, way back in Conchord at their moment of victory, but he knew that nobody would believe him.

_ Why am I trying?  _ Igneous thought.  _ This is never going to work.  _

“I believe him.” Abbigail said.

Everyone turned around in shock as Abbigail approached Igneous. Abbigail tried to speak, but was interrupted by Shale’s shouting. 

“Arrows! Take cover!”

Igneous felt his muscles tense, and he looked up. Multiple flaming arrows were streaking towards the group, the air growing hot and sickly as the deadly shafts began raining down on the city of Ataraxia. Igneous and the others dove for cover as the arrows rained on their location. One of them pierced Abbigail’s un-armoured arm, tearing a scream from her throat. It was so unsettling, to see someone that seemed so untouchable and strong display such fear. 

An arrow whizzed by Senn’s face, barely scraping by his face. He stumbled back, pulled away from the arrow by Igneous, heat from the fire grazing his face as the projectile flew by, embedding into the ground and setting a patch of peat alight. 

“W-why--?! You t-tried to kill me!” He heard Senn protest. Igneous heaved in a breath, the smoke tickling his throat, though he knew it wouldn’t hurt him.

“Because--because we’re friends! I don’t want you to die, I never wanted to hurt you!” Igneous shouted as the arrows continued to pelt the floating islands. Igneous looked up at the sky once again, and noticed Vraleus was nowhere to be seen. He inhaled sharply. Vraleus was getting smarter. He refused to come to a battle, whether from cowardice or from his previous defeat, he did not know. 

Igneous kept Senn behind him, and led him away from the volleys of arrows. The sky was slowly being enveloped with a thick layer of smoke, much of which was generated from the incinerated buildings in the city itself. Senn glared at Igneous, but had started to loosen up a little. 

“So...You didn’t want to kill me?” He asked, voice choppy. Igneous nodded, looking back out into the hail of arrows. Obsidian quickly rejoined them. 

_ Are you afraid?  _

“Of course.” Igneous responded. 

_ Is that why you’re hiding?  _ Obsidian asked. 

“No. I just--I don’t want Senn getting hurt. He’s already suffered enough. He needs some rest.” Igneous said tiredly. Senn glanced down at the ground and sighed. 

Obsidian looked up at the sky.  _ Come on.  _

“W...What?” Igneous asked. He looked back at Senn, who was leaning against a stone wall, shifting, as if the surface had absorbed heat, and that he was moving to prevent himself from being burned. Obsidian stared into his eyes, refusing to speak further. Igneous sighed, climbing onto the dragon’s back. He took off, large wings unraveling. 

Soon, they were high above the city. The islands were covered in fire, smoke almost concealing the orange lights of the invading Netherans. Obsidian’s wings beat loudly as he hovered in place, the two overlooking the once peaceful home of both Ardoni and humans alike. 

Obsidian dove down, aiming towards a figure who was tormenting a young woman and her child. Fanning his wings out, Obsidian unhinged his jaws, gripping around the warrior’s neck. He crunched through the armor with ease, the body falling with a spurt of hot, orange blood coating his face. He dove through fire, flames glancing off his scales harmlessly, and whipped at Netherans with his tail. Igneous hopped off, drawing his greatsword from his inventory stabbing and slashing, unbothered by the heat. He wasn’t wearing his armour - he’d have to retreat soon in order to do so.

Soon, the ground was slick with gore and ash. Igneous and Obsidian looked at each other, taking a moment to make the most of their minute of reprieve, with Igneous pulling his armour out of his inventory, donning it as quickly as he could. Roaring in the distance brought them back to their senses. He hopped onto his dragon’s back and the two took off again, following the source of the roars. 

In the center of the burning city, Luna was attacking a Wither, gripping at its final head. She managed to rip it off, and the beast fell to the ground, causing dirt to fly up into Obsidian’s face. 

_ Undead…  _ Obsidian breathed, prompting Igneous to look over the dragon’s shoulder. He gasped in horror, noticing hordes of skeletons and zombies marching through. This caused the other dragons to roar, two of them diverging and breathing purple flame through the undead’s lines. Luna dove down, Abbigail jumping off her dragon’s back, cutting through the undead and Netherans, her attacks seeming less brutal, but more like a dance. However, the almost perfect strikes were marred by a slight limp, her actions making room for her injury.

Luna took off again, joining the dragons in their aerial assault. Igneous felt Obsidian freeze, unsure of where to flank. The scent of blood melded with that of smoke, filling his lungs and nose with the horrific odor. 

Igneous felt his stomach drop. Behind Abbigail, a Netheran dug themself out of the pile of corpses. They hissed, blood oozing down their front. 

“ABBIGAIL!” Igneous shrieked, pointing at the half-dead Netheran. Abbigail swirled around, stabbing the Netheran through the chest. Igneous looked at her back and noticed a horde of undead charging. Igneous opened his mouth again, but the undead were too fast. 

Abbigail barely noticed the monsters before they pinned her down, stabbing and punching and kicking her, their teeth and nails trying to bite through her armour. Luna roared, rising through the sky before diving down without a single moment’s hesitation. Abbigail struggled back to her feet for a short moment, before one of the undead caught its sword in a dent in her armour. It stabbed her through the stomach and shoved her to the ground. 

Igneous forced Obsidian to land, right as all of the dragons wailed, a loud mental screech of the same word, echoing throughout the air and the minds of all the combatants. 

_ NO! _

Igneous stepped before the Queen as Luna managed to cut through the remaining undead that Abbigail couldn’t slay. Igneous knelt before the Queen, grabbing at the Enderblade, which had started to grow dim. It slipped out of his hands.

And shattered into two pieces. 

Luna roared, lifting herself back into the sky. She flew through the air with blinding speed, setting fire to Ataraxia, not caring for the harm it would cause the innocents. Soon, the Netherans retreated from the sheer amount of destruction. Yet, Luna continued her grief fuelled rampage, purple flames bursting out from one building to another.

Igneous was blind to the fires. He shut the Queen’s eyes and shoved himself into the ground, hoping this was just another terrible dream.

If he hadn’t spoken, then she would have been alive. The ground soon grew wet with her blood, and so did his armor. Igneous kept his eyes shut, numb to the feeling.

Obsidian roared, nudging Igneous up. Igneous glared at the sky, noticing the gray was now tinged with purple. Luna still flew high above the sky, and Igneous could faintly see the moon and the stars. 

Luna looked back up at the moon. She glared back down at the city, inhaling again. Obsidian charged forwards, throwing his fellow dragon to the ground. She fell into a house and roared in pain. Obsidian lunged forwards, clamping his jaws around her throat as his arms grasped around her shoulders, embracing her in the most peaceful way he could. 

Igneous watched this and felt himself grow sick, even as Obsidian screamed the best apology he could.

_ I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.  _ He kept screaming. 

The other dragons circled in the sky as Luna grew limp. Igneous felt his heart sink. He wanted to ask why his own dragon killed the Queen’s dragon, how he could be so cruel.

He felt a hand touch his shoulder. Igneous turned around and noticed Ceris, who was being closely followed by Everett.

“I guess it’s only us now.” Ceris said, tone grim. Igneous couldn’t contain the question anymore. Pure bewilderment overcame him. 

“Why would Obsidian kill Luna?!” He shouted, feeling his throat grow tight. 

Ceris sighed. “Dragons rarely ever survive the death of their rider. It drove her  _ insane _ . You see, what Obsidian did was merciful.” He said, gravely. Igneous swallowed heavily. 

Obsidian landed next to him, nudging him with his snout. The Magnorite quickly shoved his head against his dragon’s shoulder, sobbing loudly. Purple blood ran down his head, painting him with more gore. 

No one could keep track of the amount of time it took for him to calm down. While Igneous was sobbing his eyes dry, Ceris and Everett made sure everyone was okay. Somehow, the Knights of Ardonia had managed to survive. They had cut through some of the Nether’s forces but took cover when Luna began her rampage. 

Ceris picked up the shards of the Enderblade. He glanced at the dim Endercrown that once adorned Abbigail’s head and plucked it off the ground beside her. However, unlike the blade, it stayed in one piece. He cradled the items and glanced over at Igneous, who sat down, staring into space. 

“Igneous?” He floated the question. The Magnorite’s response was delayed, but he still looked over. He nodded at Ceris, as if acknowledging that he still had a name. Ceris tightened his expression into a grimace. “There’s only the three of us left now.” 

  
  



	22. Broken

Igneous held the shattered sword in his hands. A week had passed and he felt… Beyond apathetic. He felt detached and alone, and had locked himself in, glaring at the sword, only coming out of his temporary house to eat. 

The day he finally felt a little lighter, he tried to shove the sword together, as if it would work. When it didn’t reform, he finally gave up. It couldn’t just be reforged with his hands. He would have to accept that. The pieces just crumbled apart once more, frustrating Igneous even more.

_ Why did this have to happen? _

Ceris and Everett sat next to the Moonlit, silent and still depressed after the events.

“The Enderblade won't reforge,” Igneous hissed, frustrated.

“It won’t ever be intact again. Not unless the End finds a new ruler.” Ceris replied, softening his voice.

Igneous then threw shards in front of him in frustration, stomping away, replaying Abbigail’s death in his mind, over and over again. The undead thrashed at her body, her screams of agony as Igneous stood there, helpless, unable to do anything.

_ No, no, no, no, no- _

He had to fix the Enderblade, maybe if it was fixed, Abbigail could be resurrected. The idea was wild and he was almost certain it wouldn’t work, but he had to try. He gathered up all the Enderblade remnants and tried fixing it himself, jamming the shards of obsidian together, hoping the magic would reignite and forge the blade again. After multiple failed attempts he stomped outside and punched a tree in anger, the wood crumbling beneath his fist.

“Igneous I don’t want to admit it, but we can’t fix the blade, only the true End’s leader can.” Everett confessed.

“I need to fix it! The End can’t survive without a ruler!” Igneous responded.

“We need more Enderknights, firstly.” Ceris explained.

“How can we find more if there’s no ruler?!” Igneous snapped.

Ceris and Everett had no response to that, and Igneous stood up, running off blindly into the center of the city again, letting out small sobs as he did so. He ran into a Kaltaris, backing off quickly before he knocked the watermelons out of the Ardoni’s arms.

“Excuse me sir, where’s your blacksmith?” Igneous asked, his words slurring together.

“Middle floating island.” the Kaltaris responded with an expression of sympathy, nodding in the direction of a small hut on an island.

Igneous nodded sharply and raced towards the island. He pushed past stands, stomping across vine bridges, and bursting into the blacksmith’s shop. He found a Sendaris hammering away on a diamond pickaxe, not even taking a glance at who came in.

“Have you come for fresh tools or do you need repairs?” the blacksmith asked, nonchalantly, as if someone hadn’t just burst into his workshop without even knocking.

“Repairs.” Igneous said laying the shards on the Sendaris’ desk. The Sendaris glanced at the sword, befuddled for a moment. He shook his head slowly and Igneous spoke up. “I need this sword repaired. Please.” 

“I can’t repair it.” The Sendaris said, passing the sword’s shards back to Igneous. “It’s simply not possible.”

“...Why?” Igneous asked, his voice wavering. The Sendaris just shook his head again and waved Igneous away. Igneous sighed shakily, grabbing the sword’s shards. He carried them outside, heading back to his shelter. Quartz stood there, waiting for him. At his side stood Scoria. Igneous huffed out sadly and sat down. Quartz sat next to him as Scoria watched the two of them. Quartz wrapped his arms around Igneous.

“Why is the magic sword broken?” Scoria asked. Igneous sighed, readying a sugarcoated version of the truth, but Quartz spoke before he could. 

“Sometimes the magic sword breaks, sweetie.” He said. Scoria sat down on the ground and sighed. Quartz looked over at Igneous. “Do you know that she doesn’t have a family?”

“What happened to them?” Igneous asked. Quartz sighed.

“She was abandoned.” He said. Igneous felt a pang of sadness rush through his chest. He couldn’t imagine the poor kid going through that. It felt like something he had gone through before. He approached the kid and she hugged him out of instinct. Taken aback, he reciprocated the hug. 

“I’ll take care of you.” He sputtered. His head was swirling with thoughts, mostly of how unfair it was to abandon a child in these times. Igneous inhaled sharply, his mind dragging itself back to the calamity that was ripping the world apart. He considered what was needed. Who had the largest armies?

He remembered K’arthen, how he had just left so quickly after signing a treaty. He hadn’t ordered them to help. Regret washed through him. How could he be so stupid? Sighing, he let go of Scoria and charged off again.

===

It all happened so fast, what had started with a simple conversation ended with a trip to K’arthen. He was surprised how receptive the others were, but unfortunately he couldn’t fit the Knights of Ardonia on the back of the dragons.

They told him that this might be a blessing in disguise, saying that they needed to consult their leader and that they might be able to help better with them. He clambered onto Obsidian’s back and soon they were off. 

Obsidian was rather clumsy in his flight. The other dragons moved a bit sluggishly, but soon they were where they wanted to be. 

They landed with haste. Igneous glanced over where the K’arthen wall used to be and noticed it had been dismembered. He sighed, finding it weird that it was gone so quickly. He walked into K’arthen and travelled to Maxwell’s house, hoping that he could get a result there.

The door swung open rather easily. Igneous let himself in, provoking a scream from Maxwell. The human stepped back, before struggling to catch his breath.

“It’s just you!” He sputtered. Igneous tilted his head.

“Yeah?”

“What are you here for?” Maxwell seemed a bit more relaxed than when he last saw him. 

“I need K’arthen’s army.”

Maxwell’s eyes widened. He blinked, before sighing. “That Vraleus guy again?”

“He killed Abbigail.” Igneous said, bluntly, trying to squash down the bile that was rising in his throat. Maxwell looked down at the ground and shrugged his shoulders. 

“I guess I can arrange something.” He said. Quickly, he pointed Igneous outside. “Let me handle it, please.” 

Igneous nodded and stepped outside. As he walked outside, he took the shards out of his inventory and looked at them again. They seemed a tad more solid, but Igneous didn’t want to spark a false hope. He huffed. 

Everett ran in front of him. He beckoned Igneous close and whispered something that he obviously wanted to shout. 

“They have eggs here. Tons-” 

Everett obviously couldn’t wait, and gripped Igneous’ arm, pulling him through winding streets and down straggling alleyways. He walked for so far that Igneous wondered how the Enderknight had found them in such little time. Obsidian’s footsteps could be heard from behind them as he tagged along behind the two.

Finally, they came across an ornately carved archway, its mouth yawning open, leading into a cave. They slid in, though the Magnorite was hesitant at first. After several paces, Everett uncovered the entrance to a Stronghold, the mossy stone bricks letting off a slightly musky scent. The pair climbed in, followed by the dragon, taking a sharp left turn as soon as their feet hit the stone floor, Everett in the front and Igneous following.

The human finally stopped at an open door, Obsidian standing several feet away. It was too small an opening for the dragon.

“I unlocked it when one of the K’arthen soldiers showed me here,” he explained, pushing the doors further, revealing a dimly lit room with glowstone in the ceiling and redstone torches illuminating the walls.

The room had almost twenty Enderdragon eggs, hidden in small alcoves carved into the sides of the wall. They were all dark and inactive, except one; the largest. It was not hidden in holes like the others, but rather, set on a roughly carved, stone pedestal, so high only Igneous could reach it, and only when he stood up on his toes. He hooked his claws underneath the egg, carefully bringing it over the edge and cradling it in his arms as he landed back on his heels. Igneous glanced over the egg, cupping it, and hefting it as he turned around. It was so much heavier than Obsidian’s egg, and he was slightly afraid of the infant that would be inside. 

Bringing it close to his chest, he looked at Everett.

“Looks like we have another Enderknight.” He said. Everett stammered a couple times before finally getting his words out coherently.

“Al--already?” He asked. Igneous nodded, a slight hopeful smile curling on his face, the first one he had shown since Abbigail’s death. 

“Do you want to find the Enderknight?” He asked, holding the egg out. “I’m thinking of looking around K’arthen. I need to see how well they’re prepared for war.” 

Everett held his hands out and received the egg, crouching slightly from its weight. He glanced behind him. “I’d hope they’re well prepared. Of all people I’d expect to take charge...you’re not one of them.” 

Igneous sighed. “I guess I have to admit I’m surprised too.” He replied. Everett trotted off with the egg and Igneous heard Obsidian plodding over. The dragon nudged the Magnorite with his snout.

_ I need to show you something.  _

====

As they emerged from the side street, Igneous followed the dragon as he wound a different course through K’arthen’s pathways. The dragon stopped before a heavily guarded building. With his tail he nudged Igneous towards the guard. 

_ Ask about their weapons.  _

“Can I see your weapons?” He asked. The guards glared at him suspiciously, and he took his helmet off. They looked at each other before leading him into the room. Large canons with dragon-like faces stood. Some were in disrepair, while others were in perfect, shiny condition. Igneous ran his hands along one of them, a shiny red beast. 

“That’s a Crimson Dragon. It shoots one of the most dangerous fire blasts.” Someone said behind him. He turned around and found an incredibly tall Magnorite standing before him. 

“I never knew you had these.” 

“Takes more than an army to win a war. You need good weapons too.” The Magnorite said, turning away.

“Good point.” Igneous responded. 

He stepped out and noticed a large Enderdragon plodding next to a figure. Igneous rushed over, Obsidian following suit. He almost crashed into Everett and his dragon. Everett flinched as Igneous barely stopped himself. 

A Magnorite rushed over. Everett clutched the egg tightly as the figure observed them. 

“Are you alright?” She asked, right as Igneous recognized her. Flint stood before the four figures. 

“Yeah.” Igneous said right as Everett handed her the egg out of complete impulse. The egg glowed and Flint set it on the floor. Igneous threw himself back as the egg exploded, violet rays streaming from the shattered shell. The three stood dazed, looking at the small creature that remained, twisting around in the ring of ashes and eggshell it had once been encased in. This dragon had two long fins coming from its head. Flint picked up the creature curiously.

“What the heck does this mean?” she asked. 

“Viserion, step back please.” Everett said to his dragon. He looked over at Igneous. “Do you want to tell her?”

Igneous nodded, then said solemnly, “It means...You might be one of us now.” 

  
  



	23. There's Always Been Two

“So... I’m an Enderknight?” Flint asked, surprised, shifting her weight to comply with the large, infant dragon that was climbing over her shoulder.

“I guess you are.” Igneous responded.

“We don’t know for sure, but the dragon chose you. I believe you might be an Enderknight.” Everett responded, “I’m almost certain.”

“So... What do I do now?” she asked.

“Well, I will say you might want to get used to dragons annoying you.” Igneous responded. Everett turned to Igneous, confused. “What? Luna always tried to harass me,” he replied.

“I think you were special to her.” Everett responded.

Igneous rolled his eyes in disapproval. “So I guess you need training,” Igneous said.

“Training?” 

“Yes, training. You’re an Enderknight now” Igneous responded.

Flint chuckled, “I can fight perfectly fine.”

Igneous raised an eyebrow, drawing his sword, “Let’s see for ourselves, shall we?”

Flint nodded, jerkily, turning away to her residence, returning with a large hammer. Flint took not a moment’s hesitation, and as soon as she readied her balance, she charged at Igneous, swinging her hammer around. Igneous dodged her weapon and tried retaliating against Flint, but she kicked him down. Igneous stumbled across the floor.

“Good fight, am I right?” Flint taunted, her previously stony face now plastered with a sarcastic grin.

Everett chuckled, but Igneous wasn’t amused. He hopped back on his feet and challenged Flint once more. Flint grasped her hammer tight as Igneous charged towards her. Flint’s smirk widened, and she whacked Igneous with her hammer. Everett chuckled as Igneous fell back on the floor.

“Alright!” Igneous wheezed, “W-we get it- You’re a good fighter.” 

Everett turned to Igneous and nodded towards Igneous.

“Well, since we’re in K’arthen, I think we should talk to Maxwell again.” Igneous suggested.

Everett, and Igneous then traveled back towards Maxwell’s house, Flint following behind them. Maxwell was talking with two Magnorites, his back turned to the approaching Enderknights.

“Hey Maxwell! We’re back.” 

Maxwell turned to face the trio, nodding to the Magnorites, dismissing them. He walked towards the Enderknights. 

“I bet you’re here to report progress on the rallying of the armies.” He huffed, appearing slightly annoyed, Igneous nodding in response. “Well, the armies are divided. It appears Malakai’s rule hasn’t exactly been purged entirely.”

“What do you think we can do?” Igneous asked.

“Well I don’t know if I can force them to help you. That… That wouldn’t be right. I’d be better off trying to convince them.” Maxwell explained, “It’ll take a lot longer, but it’s better 

Before Igneous could respond, a Magnorite rushed towards Maxwell, panting hard, his breath so hot the air in Maxwell’s house became stuffy and thick within the moment the Magnorite had taken to catch his breath.

“Borgen is running rampant again-” the Magnorite puffed, his breath wheezy.

“Not again,” Maxwell grumbled under his breath. 

“Wait, what’s happening?” Igneous inquired, recognising the name of the Moonlit he’d infected.

“Well, Borgen, ever since you left, has been going around in his Moonlit form, killing people. We can’t snap him out of it-”

He spat on the ground, snarling as he did so. 

“I’ll talk him out of it.” 

“Well do what you want to do, I-I have to leave,” Maxwell stammered running back towards four Magnorite guards.

“What’s happening to Maxwell?” Everett asked.

“Well, he heard rumors that Borgen is trying to kill him,” Flint said. “Maxwell actually believes them.”

“I’m going to find Borgen now,” after a moment’s consideration, Igneous asked, “Do you all want to come?” 

“I mean, I would confront Borgen, but I just don’t want to right now.” Flint responded, “Hope you understand, I don’t want to risk it.” 

The two other Enderknights nodded. Everett then turned towards Igneous. “I’ll help others to shelter, good luck Igneous.” he replied.

“Good luck to you as well.” he responded, heading off.

====

Igneous watched as crowds of people fled from the direction of Tartarus, screaming in panic. He winced; their cries would only draw the rogue Moonlit.

_ That’s where Borgen is.  _

He charged over. What started as a gray speck quickly grew into a large, bulky shape, forming into the familiar shape of a Moonlit. He readied himself, standing straight in the path of Borgen. The other caught sight of him, instantly changing his path to interrupt the other Magnorite. He raised one hand, steadying himself, then danced out of the way like a matador in front of a raging bull. As the other rushed past him, he waited, watching as the rogue Moonlit twisted around sharply, gouging deep scratches into the dirt beneath him. He watched intently as the other ran right back at him, and slammed his fist into the other Magnorite’s face. Borgen fell back, momentarily stunned.

“Borgen, please! Listen to me!”

The Moonlit roared, eyes glinting with something--not quite animalistic… What was it? He couldn’t decipher what was in that glare. Those eyes looked distant, shocked, yet the way he arched his back, as if ready to pounce…

Igneous inhaled sharply. Something else was controlling him. “Borgen, I know you’re in there.”

The Moonlit roared, eyes narrowing. However, Igneous felt as if the Moonlit was trying to shut his eyes, not squinting. Igneous had to figure out to protect himself from Borgen and fast. He couldn’t kill him! He knew, deep within, that Borgen wouldn’t just harm civilians like this. Who would?!

_ Vraleus. _ That name echoed through his head. Feeling his heart sink, he glared back at the Moonlit, who was slowly coming out of his stupor.

Borgen raised himself back to his feet. He circled Igneous, observing him for weakness. Igneous drew his sword, holding it in front of him defensively, contemplating his next move. He couldn’t use the sword  _ against _ Borgen, an injury wouldn’t be worth it.

He raised the sword high, catching the glint of the sun. Borgen roared, recoiling. Igneous watched the Moonlit circle much slower. Then Borgen lunged. Igneous hopped out of the way. Borgen’s claws raked against the ground as he struggled to stop himself, leaving more, thick claw marks in the ground. 

Slamming his sword to the ground, he caught Borgen’s attention again. He raised his voice into a loud shout, the loudest he could go.

“YOU ARE NOT AN ANIMAL! LISTEN TO ME!” The Magnorite shouted. Borgen snarled, clutching the sides of his head. Igneous rammed his sword into the ground, hearing the loud clang echo through his ears. “YOU NEED TO FIGHT HIM! DON’T YOU KNOW WHAT HE’S DOING TO YOU?”

Borgen shook his head and neck and growled. His gaze seemed distant. 

“I never meant to cause this, Borgen. We want the same thing, don’t we? To keep our people safe.” He said softer, drawing his sword to his side. “I know it’s my fault this happened to you. Please, come back.” 

The Moonlit charged forwards, pinning Igneous to the ground. He yelped, curling back. Looking into Borgen’s blue eyes as he grabbed the hilt of his sword, he muttered the last words before the worst would happen.

“Please forgive me.”

Igneous flinched, fear gripping his chest. He awaited the first attack, the first sign of the point of no return. He waited, and waited. 

Opening his eyes, he noticed Borgen’s breaths were heavy, but stable. Slowly, he backed away, as if hit by a realization. Igneous realized he was holding his breath and took in a heavy gulp of air. The two stared at each other for what felt like a thousand years, though only a few moments could have possibly passed. He slowly shuffled backwards.

“I know what it’s like to be controlled.” Igneous murmured. Borgen whimpered softly and Igneous sighed. “Don’t try to speak right now, it’s going to hurt. I know from experience.” He raised himself to his feet as Borgen laid down. 

“Am… am I a .Monster…?” He asked quietly. Igneous sighed, walking forwards and tapping Borgen on the head.

“No, no you’re not.” 

=====

Maxwell screamed as Borgen entered his house. Igneous followed close behind. He sighed and cleared his throat.

“Borgen never wanted to kill you.” He said, sighing again.

“I doubt it!” He shouted. Borgen whimpered softly. Igneous glared.

“Borgen was controlled by Vraleus.” His voice was grim.

“...How do you know that?” Maxwell asked, bringing himself back into view. Igneous sighed, walking closer. Borgen whimpered, hanging his head low. 

“He’s controlled me before. It made sense when I...I looked into his eyes. He looked...scared...distant.” 

Maxwell approached Borgen slowly, bringing his hand out. Borgen sniffled, placing his head in Maxwell’s hand. “How do we prevent Vraleus from controlling him again?” 

Igneous huffed. “I have no idea.” Maxwell’s eyes widened. He shivered.

“So...He could suddenly become a monster of uncontrollable rage?” 

“Yes, but I doubt it will happen again.” Igneous said. “I think Vraleus won’t attempt to control him again, since he’s made it clear it’s hard to control.” As he said this, Borgen approached Maxwell and laid down at his feet. Maxwell patted his friend on the head. 

“I’m so sorry for being afraid of you. I’ll try to clear it up with the people.” Maxwell looked up at Igneous. “I’ll see about what we’ll do next after we get this cleared up.” 

Igneous headed out and heard the distant voice, both yelling with increasing volume and intensity. He walked over towards the source of the shouting and found a rather large house, grand and tall, obviously built and owned by someone with wealth. Approaching, the noise grew louder and he heard a familiar voice. It was Shale, and someone else entirely.

He ran forwards, hearing a shriek of agony. Before Shale was a large Magnorite, with skin a similar tone to Igneous’ own rocky plates. Igneous heard the Magnorite punch Shale again and he shrieked out of pure, absolute terror. The Magnorite turned around, his familiar face and yellow-orange eyes locking on. Igneous immediately knew, deep within his being, that this monster was his true father. 

Shale suddenly sputtered, the lava oozing out of his body starting to lose its blue color. It was becoming an orange color. The Magnorite ignored Igneous now, looking back at Shale. “I regret naming my son after you. If I had--” He coughed and sputtered, lava oozing out of his mouth. “--known the monster you were, I would have never named him after you.” The Magnorite looked over at Igneous. 

“I’m guessing that’s your child?” He said, looking back at Igneous and smirking devilishly. Shale sputtered and gargled, unable to speak again. “So...Your name is Igneous?” 

Igneous stepped back, heart full of dread. He wanted to void the contents of his stomach. Those piercing, familiar eyes ripped through his very being. Eyes like those could swallow souls. He rammed the Magnorite to the side, kneeling before Shale. 

“Dad…” He cried out, curling towards his father. Shale gurgled for a couple moments more until his eyes rolled back into his head and they closed. Igneous shrieked, his voice a guttural cry. He heard the loud thumps of a dragon. Good, Obsidian was coming to help. 

He looked up, and to his terror, a dragon much larger than Obsidian eclipsed them. The Magnorite grabbed Igneous’ back, pulling him towards his chest. He purred with a sick pleasure that made Igneous cry. “Come on, _ Runt _ .” He growled, pulling Igneous harder. The massive Magnorite could carry him with ease, but he seemed to prefer dragging Igneous on the ground. He sobbed so hard he couldn’t see. 

After what felt like an hour, he was thrown in a room. Igneous felt lava ooze out of his side. He gulped heavily, before bursting out into sobs. “Who are you?!” He shrieked, his chest heaving in awfully. The Magnorite glanced in the room, closing the only door to the outside almost all the way.

A smile crossed his lips and the dragon at his side mirrored his smile. “I am Igneous.”

  
  



	24. What If I Kill Again?

“You can’t be… We...we have the same name...” Igneous stammered.

“Nothing is impossible,” the other Igneous snarled.

Igneous paced backward in terror, as his doppelganger trudged towards him. Snarling, Igneous tried to step back some more but couldn’t move. He realized he was frozen in fear. The other Igneous noticed that, and started to walk slower, menace radiating from him.

“Please, let me go...” Igneous barely sputtered.

“Why can’t a father spend some time with his son?” the doppelganger taunted.

“You’re not my father!” He snapped back.

“Do you not have eyes? You can  _ easily  _ see that I am your true father.”

He grabbed Igneous on his shoulders firmly. The younger squirmed and kicked, praying that the stress would cause him to change. He gritted his teeth, feeling his limbs snapping, twisting and growing. Quickly, he jumped up to his feet and bit down on his father’s chest. 

The larger Magnorite roared, two figures rushed in, restraining the Moonlit with chains. He roared and struggled against his binds, but they managed to carry him away. As they led Igneous away, he caught sight of Borgen. Igneous yowled in desperation, and Borgen rushed over. The Magnorite that had caused Igneous’ imprisonment walked over to Borgen and cleared his throat. 

“Don’t you want to be cured of your disease?” He said. Borgen looked over to Igneous, who was whimpering and struggling against his restraints. Borgen sighed, following the Magnorites as they dragged Igneous to a big blue pool. Igneous shrieked, thinking he was going to be drowned. However, the Magnorite he had bitten in the chest jumped in the pool and emerged unharmed. A smile grew across his face. “It’s called Remedium, one of the only things that can cure Moonlits.” He said, and Igneous felt the chains yank harder.

He roared, biting at his chains, ripping himself free. Slashing with blind rage, he did not take a single moment to consider his actions, lava spilling over the ground, leaking into cracks and crevices. Igneous hissed and suddenly felt himself get yanked back. He kicked at the air as he fell into the blue liquid. Screaming, he tried to fight his way free.

His body burned like hot iron and he cried out, his voice gurgling under the thick liquid. It felt warm, like lava, and was a strange slurry of blue and orange. Weakness traveled over his body, prickling him as he felt everything grow bigger. Hands grasped his sides, pulling him out of the liquid. He hung limply, his head pounding. 

After he was set down, he noticed his hunger had disappeared. Looking down at his hands, he noticed he was smaller. His elbows had smoothed and he seemed to be...back to what used to be normal. He looked behind him and saw Borgen dip his head in the liquid. Igneous heaved, before shaking and crying. Borgen put a hand on his shoulder a moment later.

“Hey, it’s going to be fine.” He said.

The Magnorite that had started this stood in front of Igneous and grabbed him firmly, lifting him up. Igneous kicked weakly, but found himself too tired to struggle in a couple moments. His eyes closed, and he knew no more. 

=====

A week had passed, and nobody knew where Igneous was. Obsidian was alone now, avoiding all who asked about his Enderknight’s fate. Flint had diverged from the other Enderknights, her dragon now too large to stay on her back. The whelp squirmed behind her. She would look up at Flint and then back at the ground occasionally. 

“Ixiry, calm down. I know what I’m doing.” She said, looking back at the young dragon. The two carried on until Flint came across a door. She knocked upon it and it swung open, revealing a Magnorite with six horns, and a bunch of drawings lining the walls behind him, one in particular being an illustration of a dragon with red scales. However, unlike other Magnorites, her skin was an incredibly dark grey, almost black as night. She had no visible lava and her skin sparkled with small star-like patterns. Her white irises burned into Flint’s orange ones. 

“Flint? What are you doing here?” She asked. 

“Cinder, I need a favor. I bet you’ve heard about a certain Magnorite who’s gone missing. I need you to help me find him.”

“What’s his name?” Cinder quipped. Flint sighed.

“Igneous.”

“That rich guy with the dragon?”

“No! The Enderknight! We both know the rich Igneous isn’t an Enderknight, he’s a Rider.” She said. Cinder’s eyes widened. 

“There are two Igneouses now?” 

“Yes. Now help me find the Igneous I’m looking for.”

“Can you describe him?”

Flint sat down, explaining Igneous’ features to Cinder. Hastily, Cinder scribbled a sketch. Flint picked up the paper, glancing at it before sighing. “Face marking needs to be a bit bigger.”

Cinder erased and scribbled a bit more. She passed the paper back to Flint. “How about we try asking the rich Igneous to borrow his dragon?” 

Flint shook her head, before passing the paper back. “You and I both know that a rich guy won’t give a single crap about our Igneous. Anyway, this sketch is pretty spot on now.” 

Cinder smirked. “Well, it’s worth a shot asking. Maybe he saw Igneous.” 

“Maybe he did. Anyway, we should bring the others, in case things don’t go so well.” 

They headed back over in the center of Tartarus. Flint rallied the others up with ease. “We have a lead!” 

“You know where Igneous is?” Senn asked. Flint shook her head.

“We have an idea of someone who could find him.” She said. Scoria squealed with glee. 

“Yay! Igneous is gonna come back!” 

“Scoria, I see we both feel the same.” Quartz said, smiling so hard his face looked like it would break.

Holly sighed, pursing her lips. “Who’s this person?”

“Igneous. The rich guy, not our Igneous.” Flint responded. 

Holly grimaced. “That guy gives me the worst feelings.”

Ceris cleared his throat. “I’m guessing you want us to come with?” 

“Yes! All of you should come! In case something goes wrong, you know?” Flint said. Cinder hopped to her side, everyone glancing over at her. 

“What’s up with her?” Everett asked. Flint shrugged and Cinder rubbed one arm nervously. Holly mirrored her expression before shaking her head. They talked for a couple moments more until they were suddenly interrupted by Holly, who pointed over at a running figure. Quickly, the figure collided with Flint, causing her to scream in the most shrill way possible. She almost lost her balance, while the figure fell onto the ground. Everyone crowded around the fallen figure and recognized them as Borgen.

“I know where Igneous is.” He said softly. 

====

Borgen led them to the large house, which was now adorned with yellow banners. “This is where Igneous Morphus lives. I’m guessing the Igneous we want is named Tectonicus?” 

“Tectonicus? Where’d you get that?” Senn asked. Borgen shrugged. 

“Shale’s last name is Tectonicus. He kind of became infamous for being the first Moonlit.” He said, sighing. “The last time I saw Igneous was the time I got cured. I couldn’t follow after him, because they took him. I can’t imagine what they’re doing to him. Get your weapons ready.” 

“You’re cured of your Moonlitness? Moonlit disease? Whatever the hell it’s called?” Senn asked. Borgen nodded.

Flint spoke up. “Aren’t we going to try negotiation?” 

Borgen growled. “Negotiation will get us killed. If he’s cruel enough to take him, he’s cruel enough to kill us as soon as we speak.” 

Flint sighed softly, before looking at the others. Borgen held his arm out, making everyone back away. He rushed forwards, knocking the door inward. The Magnorite behind the door shouted, charging forwards. Borgen inhaled sharply and then yelled. 

“You go in, get Igneous, I’ll hold him off!” Borgen yelled. The Magnorite glared down and Borgen recognized Igneous’ captor. “You don’t deserve your wealth, your power, or even the name of  _ Igneous _ .” he snarled, before punching the Magnorite in the stomach. The two dueled as the others made their way through the large house. 

Flint and the others, as soon as they made their way into the hallway, noticed the place was built like a maze. They exited the hallway, entering a room filled with Magnorites. They stared at the newcomers, though they did not attempt to fight them. Passing through, they almost got to the end of the room, before one of the Magnorites stuck out a leg, tripping Cinder over. She yelped, then scrambled up, scuttling away.

Soon enough, they were able to make their way through the rooms. Senn noticed one of the rooms was hotter than the others and led the others into it. The sight they were greeted with terrified them. Igneous was tethered to a wall, chained heavily. He seemed dead, his eyes were closed and he made no attempt to struggle. 

Stomping filled the air, and suddenly they noticed the copycat Igneous had caught up to them. He dragged Borgen’s half-dead body behind him. Borgen whimpered slightly, looking over at Igneous, who still stayed dormant, as if he was a caterpillar in a cocoon. 

“Sic em, boy.” He said, pointing at Borgen. The Magnorite wormed out of his grabber’s grasp, and looked up in horror as Igneous moved slightly.

Igneous’ eyes erupted open, glowing with fierce light. His veins exploded into light, and everyone ducked, trying their best to avoid the light. Igneous glared at Borgen and then at the Magnorite who had commanded him. His eyes glowed harsher, and the world grew white for everyone in the room. When the light subsided, there was a harsh silence as everyone struggled to regain their bearings. Igneous hung over his father’s corpse like a vulture, half of his tormentor’s body melted into the ground

Borgen looked back at “Igneous, it’s me, Borgen!” Borgen cried, kicking at Igneous. Igneous’ eyes looked dead, before he heaved out and his eyes returned back to their usual, soft glow. He stepped back, and then sat down, gritting his teeth and grabbing at his horns. His veins started to glow a bit brighter, and the others backed up, fearing another outburst.

“ _ Run _ .” His voice was strained. Borgen stared at Igneous, tilting his head in confusion. 

“Run? Why? Your captor’s dead! We can walk out of here right now.” 

“ _ RUN.  _ **_NOW._ ** ” Igneous roared, the bright, harsh glow reabsorbing him. The others started to walk towards the door, hoping that maybe if they moved slow enough, they would manage to avoid his wrath. However, Borgen stayed near Igneous. He slowly put his hand on Igneous’ shoulder. 

Igneous looked back at Borgen, before shoving his hand onto Borgen’s neck. Borgen shrieked as the rocks on his neck melted into molten rock. He screamed louder until his voice grew into gurgles and he fell forwards, moving no more. Igneous’ eyes returned back to normal and he cried out, sobbing loudly. Senn approached slowly, grabbing the remaining chains on Igneous’ body and sliding them off.

He looked back over at Senn and whimpered. Flopping forwards, he laid on the ground, refusing to move for an eternity. 

“Please, Igneous, we need to go.” Quartz said, rubbing Igneous’ back.

“I killed Borgen… Who’s to say I won’t kill again?” He started to cry, sobbing softly. Quartz continued to rub Igneous’ back. Cinder grimaced a little bit, before sighing. 

“We need to talk tomorrow.” She said. Igneous glanced up, confused. Cinder refused to talk more, and they eventually left the house.

====

That night, the moon was full. Quartz walked over to Igneous, nudging his boyfriend with his head. Igneous looked over at Quartz and then Quartz realized he wasn’t a Moonlit.

“How are...how are you not a Moonlit?” He asked. Igneous sighed.

“A week… week ago I was cured… I didn’t choose to be, it just... I got thrown into Remedium.” He said, softly sobbing. “I don’t know how to deal with dying at thirty again.” Quartz’ eyebrows raised and snuggled closer. He smirked, before nodding.

“What if I bit you?” Quartz asked. Igneous sat up, before contemplating his next words.

“I-I don’t know…” Igneous stammered. “I’m afraid of the pain--I’m afraid of starting all over again… I… I also killed Borgen… What’s wrong with me?” 

“What did Morphus do to you?”

“I thought his name was Igneous.”

“It’s a bit easier to call him by his last name. Anyway, what did he do to you?” Quartz asked. Igneous whimpered. 

“I don’t really know! He--he just--he had this kind of… control over me!” Igneous cried out. Quartz huffed.

“That sounds like what Vraleus did. I-it’s not your fault Borgen died.”

“But I killed Borgen after--after he was dead!” Igneous yelled.

Quartz sighed again. “Igneous, it’s not your fault. I know you. You’d never hurt anyone. You need to know that.” He said, snuggling up to Igneous more. He sighed, and snuggled into Quartz. 

“I guess you’re right.” he admitted. He sighed. “How is this going to work if I’m a normal Magnorite?”

“You know you don’t have to stay a normal Magnorite, right?” 

Igneous sighed. “But I get so… Nervous thinking about becoming a Moonlit again… I don’t know what to do!” 

“I can’t decide this for you, Igneous. That’s something you need to decide.” 

Igneous inhaled, thinking again. He huffed, looking at the ground and back at Quartz. “Do it.” He said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I want us… Us to be together.”

“We can be together even without you being a Moonlit.”

“I don’t want to die before you and cause you pain.” Igneous whimpered. 

“So, you want me to bite you?” 

“Yes.” Igneous said, holding his arm out. Quartz hesitated, before biting Igneous hard. Igneous shrieked.

“Sorry! I’m just--so used to biting hard.” Quartz said, pulling back. He ran off and came back with some gauze, wrapping it around Igneous’ arm. Igneous hugged Quartz quickly, snuggling into his shoulder.

“I love you.” 

  
  



End file.
